Christian Solidarity International – CSI Sudan
CSI Sudan
Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has been working to protect religious freedom and human dignity throughout the world for over 40 years. The group was founded by Rev. Hansjrg Stckelberger in 1970 after silent marches for persecuted Christians. In the 1980s, CSI focused on public relations and interventions to stop religious persecution in communist countries, including Sudan. In the 1990s, CSI teams flew food to the predominantly Christian southern Sudan, and they started investigating the claims of human rights violations committed by the central government. In 2008, CSI grew into an advocacy group in the country.
CSI, which is based in Geneva, is also affiliated with Christian Solidarity International and Uluslararasi Hristiyan Endises, two other organizations that promote human rights in the region. Despite these criticisms, CSI continues to operate in the country, with a presence in many communities. It provides safe passage for former slaves back to their homes in South Sudan, and local communities work to trace the family of each of the individuals they have freed.
CSI, which works closely with the Christian Church in Sudan, is notorious for its controversial practice of paying for the incarceration of former slaves. While this tactic is often justified, some critics argue that CSI is actively encouraging the slave trade. CT subscribers can access full digital access to the report online. The document is available at the CSI website. And there are thousands of other articles and reports about CSI’s activities.
Christian Solidarity International – CSI Sudan
In South Sudan, CSI works with the national Right to Read Foundation, a literacy organization. Jacobson served as CSI’s representative in Washington. He was the first American to back the movement to free enslaved people in the region. Internal differences and internal schisms led to the disbanding of CSI’s offices and the creation of Christian Freedom International (CFI). The new organization, headed by James Jacobson, was able to pursue the same goals as CSI, but was criticized for trying to hide the issue. In the 1990s, CSI began to visit some of the poorest villages in the region and met former slaves.
CSI also supports the rights of enslaved people by building clinics in a rural area of South Sudan. It also helps find the relatives of enslaved individuals. In the past, the enslaved were forced to marry Muslims to protect their religion. CSI also helped the Muslim community in Sudan by distributing a letterhead that contained their names. As a result of the attacks, a U.S. government official demanded the lifting of the accreditation of CSI in the United Nations.
CSI is notorious for its controversial free-slavery programs in Sudan. It has criticized the government for “hiding” the issue and for engaging in illegal trade in Sudan. The U.N. rules prohibit representatives of nongovernmental organizations to speak on behalf of their organizations. While CSI was not a member of the ECOSOC, the U.S. government imposed restrictions on the groups and canceled their registration. They have also threatened to remove their accreditation, as well as the right to freely protest in the country.