The World Council of Churches Central Committee issued its first public statement this week regarding the violence in Darfur, Sudan, which has reportedly claimed over 300,000 lives since the first conflicts in 2003, according to the United Nations.

The statement, outlined as a major part of the first report of the WCC's Public Issues Committee, characterized the six-year conflict in Sudan as a "moral challenge for the international community." The statement went on to condemn, "the mass atrocities committed against innocent civilians in Darfur" and affirmed the WCC's "commitment and support to all…efforts aiming at pursuing justice and accountability with a view to building long lasting peace through a truly reconciliatory process."

Preceding the statement in the Committee's published report was a progress report outlining the results of a three-year study on Darfur conducted by the Central Committee, which was initiated at the group's 2006 meeting in Geneva and directed the Committee's staff to, "study if the use of the term genocide with regard to the crisis in Darfur," and analyze if it is, "appropriate in light of the internationally agreed conventions on this issue, and to offer counsel to the churches."

Emphasized in both the concluding remarks of the progress report and the statement itself is the Committee's call for churches to "assume their pioneering role and raise the prophetic voice with regard to the Darfur crisis."

The statement also appeals directly to the government of Sudan, "to actively show its commitment to justice and peace by honouring the statements and agreements it has signed, especially the Comprehensive Peace Agreement." Furthermore, the statement commends the assistance provided in the crisis by the peace keeping force UNAMID (African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur) and ends by encouraging all Christians to, "pray for an end to the hostilities in Darfur and for a lasting peace in Sudan."

The WCC's statement comes nearly two weeks before a scheduled report on the issue is due from the UN Security Council.