Sudan

John, do you have any recommendation about groups trying to help in the Sudan? While I know of a few reliable organisations that say they are helping there, you probably know more about how useful they are on the ground.

>1 MarthaJeanne:

Thanks. It's difficult to be too specific as the situation is rapidly changing and international groups are often denied access by one or both parties to the conflict.

Generally agencies associated with the (Catholic) Caritas Internationalis network or the (Protestant) Action by Churches Together (ACT) International are reliable. CAFOD and Norwegian Church Aid are two who have tried to keep their programmes running, often through local partners.

The main actors on the ground are the Emergency Response Rooms, which are loosely organised indigenous volunteer groups doing tremendous work, often with little international support, at great personal risk. Any international group which can demonstrate that it is working with or funding them is well worth supporting.

It's also worth noting that there are various groups working hard to increase international attention and action about Sudan, something which I am also involved in. Pax Christi International is a good example.

Thank you. That is exactly what I wanted to know. Diakonie is part of ACT, so we already have contact with them.

Just a philosophical note to that. I mentioned this to my husband and he handed me the latest letter from Diakonie which was a plea for help for children in refugee camps in the Congo.

The fact is I have only a very limited amount of money I can donate. Wherever I give it, it will only be a drop in the bucket, and even the full bucket won't make a lot of difference in putting out the fire. I can't help everybody. I'm not sure how you decide who to try to help a little. I'm sure the mothers in the Congo need help badly, and I feel very sorry for them. Right now, I have, at least in my mind, allocated the money I have available for Sudan. I will not tale it away from there because of this other need. But what are the criteria for deciding?

Pope appeals for ceasefire and humanitarian access for Sudan (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV appeals for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian corridors in Sudan, calling for international action and prayer for the victims. Speaking during the Angelus address he also calls for peace and dialogue in Tanzania following post-election clashes that have caused hundreds of deaths...

What’s Happening in Sudan “is a tragedy”: Catholic Bishop Denounces Atrocities, Urges Global Media Attention (ACI Africa)

A Catholic Bishop has condemned the ongoing violence in Sudan, describing the situation in the country’s Darfur city of El Fasher – recently captured by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), formerly known as the Janjaweed militia – as “a tragedy”. In a note shared with ACI Africa on Friday, October 31, Bishop Christian Carlassare of the Catholic Diocese of Bentiu in neighbouring South Sudan called on the global media to give sustained attention to the suffering of the Sudanese people amid reports atrocities described as “genocidal slaughter.” Accompanying Bishop Carlassare’s message was an October 30 analysis by The New Humanitarian titled “An atrocity foretold: How the RSF siege of El Fasher turned into genocidal slaughter.”“News must talk more about the people of Sudan,” Bishop Carlassare said, and emphasized, “It is a tragedy”...

I posted the New Humanitarian article mentioned here in the Sudan thread in the LT Pro and Con group a few days ago. I also posted there an appeal by Pax Christi International.

>4 MarthaJeanne:

I think we all face that dilemma. Sadly we can't all help everybody, so we have to pick and choose according to whatever criteria appeal to us personally. For me it's Sudan and South Sudan as that's where I've spent almost my entire adult life, but the assistance I can give is not financial but rather doing my best to raise awareness amongst those who can make a difference financially or politically, and to support them with information and analysis. To a lesser degree I do the same for other conflicts, and devote time and energy to a global push towards active nonviolence.

Cardinal Ameyu Raises Alarm Over “humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale” in Sudan and South Sudan (ACI Africa)

The President of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSS-CBC) has raised alarm over the deepening humanitarian crisis in the two neighbouring countries of Sudan and South Sudan. In his opening remarks at the start of the meeting of SSS-CBC members in the Catholic Diocese of Malakal in South Sudan, Stephen Cardinal Ameyu urged Catholic leaders to strengthen unity, foster non-violence, and reinforce pastoral structures as the Church responds to the plight of the people of God in Sudan and South Sudan... “The people of Sudan and South Sudan are enduring profound suffering, displacement, loss of life, destruction of churches and properties, and a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale”... He acknowledged with appreciation the spirit of endurance among the Sudanese people, saying, “Amidst these trials, the Dioceses have demonstrated resilience, providing shelters, food, and spiritual care through charities and other agencies.” “It is our pastoral priority that we work for peace and justice. We are called to build this important institution of justice and peace in our secretariat but above all also in our different Dioceses,” Cardinal Ameyu said at the start of the SSS-CBC organized under the theme “Building Peace, Healing Wounds, and Strengthening Unity.” The SSS-CBC President added that the Church is deeply committed to humanitarian assistance, which has become a daily part of service in Sudanese Catholic Dioceses. “We provide support not only materially, but also morally, offering solidarity to refugees and returnees who are coming back home”...

Vatican Envoy Urges Bishops in Sudan and South Sudan to Stand with the Poor and Offer Hope (AMECEA)

The Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan, Archbishop Patrick Seamus Horgan, has called on Catholic Bishops in Sudan and South Sudan to stand firmly with the poor, offering not only material assistance but also spiritual care and hope amid the continuing crises facing both nations...

Help “form new habit of mind” to end Cycle of Violence, Apostolic Nuncio Urges Catholic Bishops in Sudan, South Sudan (ACI Africa)

The Apostolic Nuncio in South Sudan has encouraged members of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSS-CBC) to help the people of God under their pastoral care form “a new habit of mind” that would break the cycle of violence responsible for “death and displacement” in the two neighbouring countries...

“We share your pain”: AMECEA Delegate Brings Message of Peace, Solidarity to Displaced Families in Sudan, South Sudan (ACI Africa)

A representative of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) has assured internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sudan and South Sudan of the Church’s continued solidarity, prayers, and commitment to peace across the region. Speaking during a pastoral visit to displaced communities at the Malakal Protection of Civilians (PoC) in the South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Malakal, Bishop Flavian Matindi Kassala said the people of Eastern Africa “are always with Sudan and South Sudan — in difficult times and in good times.” “I'm here to bring a message of solidarity, to make you understand that the situation you are passing through, we share it, we know it, we feel it. We have always been keeping you in our prayers”...

“Dialogue is no longer working”: Catholic Bishops Horrified by Worsening Fighting in Sudan and South Sudan (ACI Africa)

Members of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSS-CBC) have expressed their dismay at the ongoing fighting in both countries, noting that dialogue does not seem to be working to resolve the conflicts... They lamented, “It is alarming that dialogue is no longer seen as a vehicle for harmony, healing, reconciliation and unity. Instead of pursuing dialogue, selfish interests have taken central stage and have unleashed violence.” The Catholic Bishops said that dialogue failure had aggravated humanitarian crises in Sudan and South Sudan, led to community-based hatred and divisive propaganda, and destabilized livelihoods. The entire situation, they said, was contributing to recurrent displacement, misappropriation of public resources, widespread hunger and a looming famine... They said that power struggle between governments and opposition groups in Sudan and South Sudan lacks respect for human dignity, “is harmful to the core, and maliciously selfish”...

I'm currently writing a review for a US Catholic journal of Christopher Tounsel's 2021 book Chosen peoples : Christianity and political imagination in South Sudan. I can also recommend his 2024 Bounds of blackness : African Americans, Sudan, and the politics of solidarity.

Full disclosure: I have met Chris, and I believe I'm cited in the bibliography.

Advent Reflection and Prayer by Pax Christi International Sudan Working Group

During Advent, Christians prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, who is revered by Christians and Muslims alike. At this time of much suffering in Sudan, we invite Christians and Muslims to join together in prayer and reflection on the beliefs and values that we share and that sustain us during such times.

As we work together for peace and justice in Sudan we ask our Compassionate and All-Powerful God to bring peace to the long-suffering people of Sudan. We work together with hope, raja (رجاء), trust and optimistic expectation in God.

We work together in the spirit of steadfastness and perseverance, sumud (صمودُ) that hope sustains. We work together for the common good in the spirit of nafeer (نفير), the value that has inspired the Sudanese people to join together to form Emergency Response Rooms for the good of their communities. With the hope and perseverance that our faith in God gives us, we will work for peace in a spirit of solidarity and community as we ask for God's guidance of our efforts.

May we support each other and give each other hope and strength as we try to bring light into the darkness.

A Prayer by the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais:

"Allah, grant safety to our people in Sudan.
Allah, secure and protect Sudan.
Allah, shield it from strife.
Allah, help it overcome hardships.
Allah, keep it away from wars. Allah, we ask You to safeguard it with Your protection.
Allah, guide those who intend good for Sudan to all that is good, and for those who intend harm, turn their plots against them and bring their schemes to ruin, Lord of the Worlds."

Prayer for Sudan from CAFOD*

Listen to us, Lord,
hear our prayers as we cry out to you.
Comfort and sustain your people.
Open the paths of peace.

At this time of conflict in Sudan,
we pray for those
who have been forced to flee their homes
and search for safety.

Open the paths of peace, Lord.

We pray for those
who face hunger and disease,
who have lost friends and family,
who endure in this time of crisis.

Open the paths of peace, Lord.

We pray for those
who are working tirelessly
to support our sisters and brothers
as famine looms and violence persists.

Open the paths of peace, Lord.

Guide us to stand alongside one another
and through our prayers and actions,
keep the people of Sudan
always in our hearts.

Amen.

* CAFOD is the Caritas Internationalis agency in England and Wales and is active in humanitarian work in Sudan.

This is very beautiful. I'm sending it off with my husband to the Christmas Eve service he's playing at to give to Pastor John.

“Do Not Be Afraid”: Christmas Testimony of Catholic Bishop from Sudan’s Third Year of War (ACI Africa)

In a country battered by violence, displacement and fear, the 2025 Christmas message of Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali of Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of El-Obeid emerges as a testimony of faith spoken from within war itself. Repeating the biblical refrain, “Do not be afraid,” Bishop Trille addresses the people of God in Sudan while naming their suffering and the fragile hope still carried by the celebration of Christmas... For him, the Christmas proclamation is rooted in God’s fidelity, since “the birth of Christ is the manifestation of the glory of our God,” revealing His promise of salvation and peace for the whole of creation. This peace, the Sudanese Catholic Bishop stresses, is not selective; it is “the Peace that God bestows on earth and the whole Creation in the person of the baby Jesus laying in the manger,” a peace offered “to all people without exception”... Bishop Trille situates Christmas within the ongoing war, his words conveying both the duration of the conflict and its painful intimacy, as violence fractures families and communities. He says, “Do not be afraid, we celebrate Christmas in the third year of conflict, where we continue to fight ourselves, brothers, sisters, relatives; Sudanese killing each other with showers of drones and bombs falling upon ourselves. Hence, loss of lives and properties”... The repeated call “Do not be afraid” becomes a summon to prayer and responsibility. “Peace is born!” the Local Ordinary of El Obeid proclaims, and emphasizes that this peace “is to be implored and prayed for. For God alone is its source and guarantee”... Christ, he continues, “is born into the world’s largest displacement crisis, with millions of people in need of assistance”... Against such suffering, the Sudanese Bishop expresses concern over the language of war, observing that “our leaders continue saying; we fight to the last person! A situation of a despair as it is”... Spoken from within war, Bishop Trille’s repeated refrain remains both reassurance and challenge to Sudan and the world: “Do not be afraid.”

Bishop Trille's huge diocese covers both Darfur and Kordofan. He himself has been looted by SAF and badly beaten by RSF.

As humanitarian crises mount, Sudan and South Sudan church leaders urge sustained global attention (WCC)

Church leaders in Sudan and South Sudan are amplifying the need for sustained global attention, as massive humanitarian crises grip the two historically linked nations...

“Citizens are not properties”: Catholic Bishops Condemn Renewed Fighting in South Sudan (ACI Africa)

Catholic Bishops in South Sudan have condemned renewed fighting in some parts of the embattled east-central African country, and appealed to parties to the conflict to acknowledge the people’s deep longing for peace...

Sudanese Bishop calls for ‘heavy pressure’ on warring parties in three-year conflict (Church Times)

the Bishop of Wangeli, Dr Zechariah Manyok Biar, said: “The Church is talking about peace. But we know the psychology of the Sudanese. When one side is winning, that side will not be willing to talk. And if they are losing then they will be willing to talk in order to gain time to reorganise... The pressure that they will accept is the heavy one... because ethical reasons do not convince them”... The General Secretary of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, said that the message from Sudan was: “Send us help, send us support. Don’t send us bullets, don’t send us guns.”

Sudanese priest in Angola: Sudan in need of Pope’s message for peace (Vatican News)

In light of Pope Leo's repeated appeals for peace during his Apostolic Journey, Fr. Samir Alrafayne, a Sudanese priest who has been in Angola for 13 years, calls for renewed attention to the critical situation in Sudan, where a violent conflict has raged for years, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions of people...

Sudan’s Forgotten War: A Church leader cries out for peace (Crux)

As the conflict in Sudan enters its third year, the nation faces a humanitarian catastrophe, with thousands of people killed, millions of others displaced, and critical infrastructure left in ruins... Yet, it’s a crisis that seems to have been forgotten by the rest of the world. In an interview with Crux Now, Father John Gbemboyo, Pastoral and Social Communication Coordinator in the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, offers a stark assessment of the war’s evolution, discussing the rise of ethnic militias, the deep-seated mistrust fueling the violence, and the failure of international peace efforts. He talks about food shortages and conflict-related sexual violence, and explains how the Church has remained a “field hospital” for the people, providing shelter and unity even as other aid groups evacuate...

Finally, what is your prayer for the healing and reunification of Sudan?

My prayer for the healing and reunification of Sudan is that God, in His own way, touches the hearts of people of good will and the leaders to listen to the cry of their people who need peace. May those who preach human rights discover the situation going on in Sudan and try their best to come to the aid of the traumatized Sudanese communities. War is the defeat of human ability to negotiate, but peace demonstrates the true strength of human beings. Let everyone be on the side of peace so that the true strength of peace, unity, love, and development may result in the prosperity of Sudan for all.

Pope Leo XIV, Sudanese Prime Minister Emphasize “urgent need” for Ceasefire, Dialogue as War Crisis Deepens (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV and Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil El-Tayeb Idris Abdelhafiz on Monday, May 11, underscored the “urgent need” for a ceasefire and dialogue in Sudan as the country’s civil war continues to devastate millions of lives. A statement from the Holy See Press Office says the Holy Father received the Sudanese Prime Minister in audience before the latter met the Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, together with the Under-Secretary for Relations with States, Mons. Mihăiţă Blaj. During the talks at the Vatican Secretariat of State, the statement indicates that the discussions focused on “the severe crisis that has been plaguing war-torn Sudan for the last three years.” “In this regard, the urgent need to achieve a ceasefire, provide assistance to the population and initiate a sincere dialogue among all parties of the Sudanese nation, with the aim of ending the conflict and collectively establishing peace,” was underlined during the meeting. The Holy See Press Office adds that “the importance of relations between the Holy See and Sudan was emphasized, as was the significant contribution of the local Church to the good of the country”...

Priest who remained with his people despite violence killed in Nuba Mountains (Aid to the Church in Need)

Fr. Youhanna Al-Amin died in Kauda, a region of Sudan marked by tribal tensions and disputes among armed groups. According to local sources, the killing appears to have been an act of retaliation after he reported the theft of medicines intended for the local population... Those who knew him say that he did not abandon his people when circumstances became increasingly difficult. His role extended beyond spiritual care. As is often the case in remote and impoverished regions where ACN supports projects, the Church served as a vital source of healthcare assistance and support for the most vulnerable. News of his death has caused deep shock throughout the Diocese of El Obeid. For nearly three decades, Fr. Youhanna accompanied generations of faithful, becoming a much-loved figure both within and beyond the Catholic community... The death of Fr. Youhanna adds to a series of violent incidents that have affected the Church in Sudan in recent years. In June 2025, Fr. Luka Jomo, a priest of the Diocese of El Obeid, was killed by a stray bullet during an attack on the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State. Months earlier, Bishop Yunan Tombe was brutally beaten by armed men while travelling back to his diocese, suffering serious injuries...

>20 John5918: My source tells me he was attacked because he was a Priest not because he was stealing aspirins as you suggest. The perpetrators were Mohamedans. His killing occurred in the context of broader anti-Christian violence in Sudan not ripping off village medicine."AMDG"

>21 brone: My source tells me he was attacked because he was a Priest not because he was stealing aspirins as you suggest

Nobody is suggesting that Fr Yohanna was stealing aspirins. The suggestion is that someone else was stealing medicines intended for the local people and the priest reported it to the authorities and was killed in revenge. I have not seen any reports of who his attackers were. The Nuba Mountains is noted for Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional religion living peacefully together, and Nuba of all faiths have been targeted by Islamist militay regimes for decades because of that. It's an area where I have spent a lot of time and I know it well. That region has now become the latest epicentre of the current war, with the RSF massing to attack the regional capital of El Obeid, a town where I lived for some years. Tragic. I'd be interested to know what your source is so I can compare it with what I know from personal experience.

>22 John5918:

Further to this, I've just been in contact with the Vicar Episcopal of the Nuba Mountains region of the Diocese of El Obeid (a former student of mine) and he has shared with me the official statement which provides some clarification. It says that Fr Youhanna "confronted and resisted to surrender the keys to the looters the day before", and that they returned the next day, "came into the parish compound by force and destroyed and looted the parish and broke into the stores... and carried medicines and food". Fr Youhanna was shot dead in his bedroom. Sadly looting and killing by all armed groups has been rampant across the country during the latest civil war which began three years ago. A few months back the bishop of that diocese (another former student of mine) was beaten and robbed twice in one day at checkpoints manned by the two opposing military forces, and was seriously injured and left for dead the second time. Thank God he survived. Another priest of the diocese was killed in Darfur a few months earlier. The total death toll is hard to calculate with any accuracy but estimates range from 150 thousand to 400 thousand.

Edited to add: And now another statement from the bishop himself, which repeats the earlier report that the armed men stole some medicines the first day and came back the next day and deliberately shot Fr Youhanna because they suspected that he had reported the first incident. It's one example of how difficult it is to get accurate information about anything that happens in Sudan!