War is tearing Sudan apart, say bishops

By Ngala Killian Chimton, OSV News

While fighting continues in Sudan on the Horn of Africa, Catholic bishops in neighboring South Sudan accused the warring parties of committing “horrific war crimes” while the people suffer a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

In a pastoral message on June 29, the prelates noted that “the fabric of Sudanese society has been torn apart and people are shocked, traumatized and stunned by the level of violence and hatred.”

Nevertheless, there seems to be no end in sight to the escalating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

On April 15, 2023, war broke out in Sudan between two rival armed factions of the Sudanese military government.

So far, nearly 15,000 people have been killed and nearly 9 million displaced, creating the world’s worst refugee crisis. Nearly 2 million displaced Sudanese have fled to unstable areas in Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan, overrunning refugee camps. The UN continues to appeal for more support as more than 25 million people need humanitarian assistance and worsening food security risks sparking the “world’s largest hunger crisis.”

The bishops of South Sudan said economic considerations were making it difficult to return peace to the troubled country.

“This is not simply a war between two generals, as the military is inextricably intertwined with the country’s economic life. Both SAF and RSF have networks of wealthy Sudanese and international elites and cartels that benefit from their control over various economic sectors and are linked to external sponsors who continue to supply them with increasingly sophisticated weapons such as drones,” the bishops said.

“Our leaders are not ready for peace,” said Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali of El Obeid, who read the bishops’ statement during a press conference. “Fighting and conflict have taken over because we hear them saying that we will not lay down our arms until we defeat the other group,” he said.

The bishop said it was time for the warring parties to “think about the people and the nation. The more fighting there is, the more people are scattered and the more hatred grows between the different ethnic groups in Sudan.”

“Kneel down to pray,” he continued, “and hear the voice of God and the voice of the people, of the children, of the women, who are crying out for peace, and also the blood of the innocent people who died in the crossfire. Return to dialogue as children of one mother and one father.”

The bishops of South Sudan have joined other international aid organizations in calling for humanitarian aid for Sudan, even as they recognize that the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have led to a reduction in international humanitarian aid to their region.

Other religious non-governmental organizations such as Caritas Internationalis, the World Council of Churches and the Jesuit Refugee Service are also calling for action in light of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan.

The NGOs sent a message to the United Nations Human Rights Council, which met in Geneva on June 18, calling on all parties to “agree on an immediate and lasting ceasefire and engage in meaningful dialogue to achieve lasting peace and work towards a sustainable solution to address the underlying causes of the conflict.”

They condemned the repeated sexual violence against women and children and noted that the displacement of more than nine million people had reached “unsustainable proportions”.

They warned that without an immediate financial injection, “the response capacity of neighboring countries will soon reach a breaking point.”

In view of the ongoing fighting and its humanitarian consequences, Pope Francis is loudly calling for an end to the violence.

Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio told OSV News that humanitarian assistance is being stretched to its limits by the influx of refugees from Sudan and expressed his frustration over the lack of financial resources.

“The Church in Sudan asks us to help end the war, provide humanitarian aid, lobby for peace, prepare for the ‘after-war’ period of reconciliation, reconstruction and trauma healing, and above all to pray for them,” the bishop said.