Check out Avery’s newest photos on Flickr…

CLICK HERE

Right-Click to download hi-res (1.7MB)
Right-Click to download low-res (28KB)

Despite news reports, fighting is still sporadically occurring in North Khartoum (a suburb of the capital) and other areas. It’s very dangerous due to the sporadic nature of the fighting. A curfew is still in effect which is why the streets are so quite.

SIM operates a ‘guest house’ from Khartoum openly. We also have friends with another mission who were planning to actually leave already but have been delayed now b/c of the insecurity and the airport shutdown.

We received this email recently from a friend:

… things are getting heated and there is more conflict than actually reported in the news!!!! The curfew is still on and no one can leave their homes. With no running water and steady flow of electricity, it is very hard on everyone. The main airport and all the bridges are closed. No one is allowed on the streets that is why when you see photos in the news, it may look deceivingly peaceful. The news is not showing the places where the heavy fighting is occurring. The attacks are more sporadic and unorganized, which makes it more dangerous since they involve civilians. The Janjweed are in many more places (spread out) in Khartoum, Omderman and Khartoum North with heavy artillery than initially reported by the government. The Janjweed made it very clear that they will not stop before they take over the government. So in simple words unless the Lord intervenes very soon it may become more of genocide like Darfur, but this time it will be in Khartoum. So far 129 reported casualties are reported (but add many more because the attacks were non stop since yesterday).

Read more about it at CNN.com.

The death toll is rising. Originally it was only 100, 2 hours later it’s now up to 8,000. We have friends ‘going to school’ in this area. Please be in prayer for them. They are safe now, but the city has some major damage and many are without electricity and water.

Read up on it at CNN.com

Khartoum, the capital of the Sudan government (North) was attacked on Saturday by JEM, one of the largest rebel armies from Darfur. The attack has been repulsed and the city is quite right now.

Read up on it:

Check out the newest Newsletter from SIM Sudan. Right click the image above to download the PDF.

The major news item this week as been the cyclone that hit Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Original estimates were that 10,000 people died. The government has upped the number but independent monitors are saying the number may exceed 100,000. To add insult to injury, the government is blocking the way for the UN and other agencies to provide relief. The UN has many tons of food and supplies that is not being allowed to leave the airport to be trucked to the locations where it’s needed. Many aid people are in Bangkok, Thailand where Myanmar has an embassy and they are waiting to get visas to enter the country… only to be turned away today b/c it’s a holiday and the embassy is closed.

Read more about it at CNN.com.

A friend of mine who is a nurse in Doro, Sudan recently sent out an email with a brief explanation of where things are for her right now. Please read the following and be in prayer for her.

Greetings from Nairobi and I am very thankful to be here too. Some of you have heard, but let me tell you myself that we had a close call on my last day at Doro! Our plane crashed on takeoff from Doro airstrip on April 26th. It had rained all morning and we did not get up enough speed on the muddy airstrip and it stalled. All five of us on board were injured but all of us will be fine. I have a fractured sternum (chest bone) and left hand plus major bruising. AUN helicopter came to Doro that evening and took us to Malakal where the UN have a hospital. The next day we were evacuated to Nairobi. On April I had 2 pins put in my left hand. We praise the Lord for many helps.
Plans are to still travel home for furlough on May 16-17 with some airline assistance. I will need at least a two month recovery time.
It was a stressful three months at Doro anyways.
However the 12 community health worker students are doing fine. I enjoyed the teaching. More details later.
I would appreciate your prayers for the trip home.
All for now,
Barb