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Aid to the Church in Need
World News

Christian refugee children must recite Islamic prayers before receiving food

by Tola Mbakwe

Three sources have told Catholic humanitarian charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that families arriving from war-torn South Sudan are not having their beliefs respected.

A contact, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, told the charity how Christian refugees from South Sudan are "in a terrible situation" in refugee camps in Sudan.

Dr John Newton from the charity told Premier he hopes that the children won't be conditioned into abandoning Christianity.

He said: "I don't think we have enough information at the moment to know whether they will be in any danger of leaving their faith or not.

"Certainly most of these young people are with their families. So hopefully their family's faith and their family's example will provide a corrective to any pressure that's been brought along from other sources."

Newton also told Premier that ACN has received reports that it is hard for refugee families to survive on food provided by the government.

A monthly food parcel for a family lasts little more than two weeks - leading parents to seek provisions in the local market.

Newton said items provided by the UN are sold in the market - many still in wrappers marked with UNICEF or UNHCR logos.

"We would ask the Sudanese government to respect the faith of everyone that comes into their country as a refugee," he said.

"We ask that where there is food going awry from sources which are being provided by the UN, that they do a thorough investigation to ensure that all food arriving for refugees is arriving to them free of charge."

Newton asked people to pray for peace and stability in South Sudan so that the refugees can go back home and resume their lives as they were before conflict started.

Listen to Dr John Newton speaking with Premier's Tola Mbakwe here:

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