KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) _ The Reverend Franklin Graham is back in Sudan on his latest peace and relief mission to the war torn African nation.
But as Graham arrived Sunday, a Sudanese official said clashes between militia and government troops in southern Sudan had killed at least 57 people and wounded nearly 100.
Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse ministry says the evangelist hopes to meet with President Omar al-Bashir.
Samaritan’s Purse says Graham is concerned that international efforts to try al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region “could destabilize the government, jeopardize humanitarian relief work, and undermine the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Act that ended 22 years of civil war in southern Sudan.”
The ministry says Graham told local media that he was there to show “the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” and help all Sudanese, whether they’re Christians, Muslims or “people of no faith.”