‘Don’t forget Sudan’ pleads priest as war enters third year
AS Sudan marks three years of devastating civil war, a priest has warned everyone not to ignore the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
In an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Father Diego Dalle Carbonare, a Comboni missionary with experience in Egypt, Lebanon and Sudan, said that people share a collective responsibility, as global citizens, for peacebuilding in places the world has forgotten.
He said: “The Catholic Church teaches that we share a common home. Distance should not be an issue.
“What is happening in Sudan, what is happening in Africa, to civilians, children and women, concerns all of us in some way…
“We all believe in a judgement. One day, God will examine us, and many will be surprised when he asks about forgotten wars.
“As citizens, we have the duty to ask our governments to do whatever that is in their power to stop wars and to regulate the weapons and the gold trade, which is what funds wars such as the one in Sudan.
“We are all citizens of countries whose governments should be held to account for their commitment to peace in the world, everywhere. Therefore, to forget about Sudan, or any African country, is not to be taken lightly by us or by our governments.”
Sudan has been consumed by war for three years. In March 2025 the Sudanese Armed Forces took control of Khartoum from the Rapid Support Services allowing the Christian community to return to the capital.
Christians, who numbered one million before the war, were able to again celebrate sacraments such as Mass and confession.
But the missionary, who was a teacher while in the country, said schools faced a shortage of both students and teachers.
For teachers returning it was unclear whether they could resume working in the same schools.
He said: “Many teachers and their families had to move from place to place, there are even people who fled to South Sudan, people who were almost graduating and suddenly found themselves without work and without a future.
“Some teachers were killed - one was captured and tortured. It was a tragic story. He was going to get married, he could have been a headmaster, and instead he suffered a slow death.”
The priest spoke about another teacher, a widow, who was unable to leave Khartoum because she had to care for her elderly mother.
He added: “The Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group, wanted to steal her car, and came to her house repeatedly. She told them they could just take it, but they wouldn’t leave her alone.”
“One day they took her inside and told her they were going to kill her. She replied ‘Fine, do what you must, but remember, he who lives by the sword will die by the sword’.
“Startled, they asked what she meant, and she explained: ‘It’s from the Gospel, don’t you know?’ and they fled.
“She recounted the episode calmly but added: ‘God’s Word is powerful’. The next day they returned and asked for forgiveness.”
Fr Diego said incidents like these showed how “the war can bring out the worst in a person, but we also see many examples of Good Samaritans”.
Thanking ACN benefactors for their support he said the community needed more pastors and more prayers.
He added: “The missionaries depend on the prayers of friends and strangers. ACN is giving us a lot of support in our effort to rebuild this community, but there is still much to do.”
ACN has 15 projects underway in Sudan.
With thanks to Daniel Castilla
