The Catholic Bishops and Ordinaries of Sudan and South Sudan denounce the unending war in Sudan that has inflicted pain on civilians for several months now.
In a statement released during the Annual Plenary Assembly at the Catholic Health Training Institute, which was conducted in Wau this week, the Prelates from both countries expressed their dismay over the continued fighting in Sudan.
The Catholic Prelates noted the pain and the suffering the prolonged conflict continued to inflict on the church, religious leaders, and the people of Sudan at large.
“We, the Bishops and Ordinaries of Sudan and South Sudan gathered for our Annual Plenary Assembly to share and reflect on various pastoral and socio-political situations of our Dioceses in the Sudan and South Sudan,” the statement reads in part.
The statement further added, “We also noted with pain the appalling socio-political situations affecting our people in both countries.”
The Catholic bishops also point out that the continued armed conflict in Sudan is causing more massive destruction to human lives, property, and religious and learning institutions.
According to the statement, religious leaders in Sudan particularly, in Khartoum and El-Obeid have been forced to flee their residences and places of worship due to indiscriminate bombardment of buildings forcing many religious leaders and people to walk long distances in search of shelter.
The bishops urge the international community, the Troika, and the United Nations to continue rendering support in the humanitarian sector to alleviate the crisis and help those in dire need of assistance.
“We would like to appeal to the International Community, the Troika and United Nations not to sit back but to continue its responsibility of working towards addressing the crisis and providing the necessary support to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan,” they highlighted.
The Sudan conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his former Deputy General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also known as Hemedti, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) occurred in mid-April this year.
Since the conflict broke out seven months ago, villages in regions such as Darfur and Kordofan have been burned down to ashes leaving many citizens without shelter and accommodation.
According to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), an estimated 3.5 million people have been evacuated from the Capital Khartoum and other cities.
Meanwhile, 2.7 million people are estimated to have been either displaced internally or have crossed international borders to the neighboring countries for refuge.
Similarly, there are many continued reports on gross human rights abuses and war crimes being committed in Sudan to date.