Church leader sends protest

The British Archbishop of Canterbury has protested to the government about the destruction of the Episcopal Church Cathedral in Lui, western Equatoria, southern Sudan. In a letter to the Sudanese ambassador in London, he said the bombing of the church “highlights the continued targeting of undoubted civilian centres by the government of Sudan.” It said Lui was a renowned centre of religious life, education and health care and “has never been a military centre, except during the period 1995-97 when it was a base for government troops.” “When such a centre is consistently targeted it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the intentions to harm and terrorise the civilian population,” said the letter, dated 16 January, 2001. It requested that the letter be forwarded to President Omar el-Bashir, and that he “clearly state that the armed forces will not target civilian centres of population, but only legitimate military targets, and then to abide transparently by this commitment.”