By Douglas W. Phillips,
with Matthew Chancey Contributing

Sudan, a nation of many sorrows, has suffered yet another tragic blow to the cause of freedom early this morning with the death of the newly inaugurated President of Southern Sudan, Dr. John Garang. He was the highest ranking Christian in the world of an officially Islamic state.

For the last twenty-two years, Sudan has been engulfed in a civil war between a radical Muslim regime in the north and the predominately Christian and animist region of the south. The southern rebels were led by a charismatic leader, Dr. John Garang, who was educated in the United States and managed to successfully keep a coalition together in one of the most underdeveloped regions of the world.

President John Garang with one of his seven children

Brad Phillips, of Persecution Project, with his family in Sudan

But most importantly, Garang was a professing Christian who evidenced a heart to see Christian reform in his nation. The father of seven children, President Garang and his wife were active in efforts with my brother Brad Phillips, president of the Persecution Project, to build Christian radio in the Sudan and to ease the misery of state-sponsored Islamic atrocities against Christians by building mission projects for widows and the fatherless, sponsored by Brad’s Persecution Project.

Dr. Garang probably did more than any other person in Southern Sudan to open the country to Christian missions. When the Persecution Project Foundation desired to set up a Christian radio station in Southern Sudan, Garang called it “an answer to prayer” and opened the doors for this to happen. Garang also worked to bring Christian education to the thousands of orphans in Southern Sudan.

In an area of the world where it’s very common for leaders to take many wives for political purposes, Garang remained monogamous. Garang and his wife Rebecca raised seven children together.

Clementine Phillips being held by a girl student at Nakwatom Heritage Academy

Orphan girls singing hymns at Nakwatom Heritage Academy

In January of 2005, after months of negotiations, Garang signed a comprehensive peace agreement with the Islamic government in Khartoum, officially ending the long war in the South.

Moreover, Garang won an important power-sharing concession that made him First Vice President over all Sudan, and President of Southern Sudan, which would be exempt from Islamic law. Just days before his July 9, 2005 inauguration, Dr. Garang was meeting with Brad Phillips and Matt Chancey of Persecution Project to discuss further efforts to spread the Gospel in the Sudan.

Dr. Garang died in a helicopter crash. It is not yet known if the aircraft crashed as a result of foul play.

Pray for the Garang family, the people of the Sudan, and the noble work of organizations like the Persecution Project to spread the Gospel and ease the plight of persecuted believers.