KHARTOUM, Sudan—Franklin Graham arrived Sunday in Sudan and began a series of high-level meetings and visits intended to strengthen the peace process and demonstrate God's love to people throughout the troubled nation.

Graham, President and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, met Sunday with Charge d'Affaires Alberto Fernandez, the top American official in Sudan, as well as with key government officials, church leaders, and dozens of Samaritan's Purse workers.

“My desire is to show God's love for people by helping them,” he said in an interview with local media. “We want to work for all of Sudan. We want to help Christians, Muslims, people of no faith—we want to help them all.

“We want to show the love of God—the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—to each and every person in this country. We want to work toward peace.”

This is a pivotal time for peace in Sudan, which has been embroiled in civil war and ethnic conflicts for 42 of the 53 years since it gained independence from Great Britain and Egypt. The United Nation's International Criminal Court appears to be on the verge of issuing an arrest warrant for Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, in regard to alleged war crimes in Darfur. It would be the first time a sitting president has faced such charges.

Graham expects to meet with al-Bashir in the coming days and did not comment on the allegations. However, he expressed concerns that international action in the name of justice 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 decades-long conflict was 10 times worse than Darfur in terms of lives lost.

“The destabilizing factor cannot be ignored,” Graham said.

He told Fernandez, “I want my visit to serve this country. Working for peace is not easy. Many people would like to see the peace agreement unravel. I support all those who are working toward peace in Sudan.”

Fernandez briefed Graham and key leaders of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for an hour Sunday afternoon with the latest information on the political and humanitarian situations, the complexities of the Darfur crisis, and the policies of the new U.S. administration regarding Darfur and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Fernandez said he deeply appreciates Samaritan's Purse for its long-term commitment to Sudan and relationships that have weathered the volatile political and military situations.

Samaritan's Purse partners with the U.S. Agency for International Development in Darfur to provide aid to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by war. Banditry and factional fighting continue to increase, causing local and regional insecurity and severely hampering humanitarian work to the more than 2.5 million who depend on aid for survival.

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Samaritan's Purse , Sudan , Evangelism , Franklin Graham , A Message of Peace