Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya, South Sudan Bemoans “horror scenes” in Sudan amid Violence

At least 528 people have reportedly been killed and 4,599 injured since the war erupted on April 15. Many more are thought to have died due to the disruption of critical services, including health care.

In his speech at the end of Bishop Oseso’s Consecration Mass, Archbishop van Megen acknowledged the efforts being undertaken by the international community to end the violence.

Credit: ACI Africa

He faulted politicians from the two warring factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary force under General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, for not being “really ready” to dialogue.

“The International Community is working very hard to get things back into place and up to now it hasn’t really worked because also the two parties involved are not really ready to listen to each other,” the Dutch-born Vatican Diplomat who started his service as Apostolic Nuncio in Sudan in March 2014 said.

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He added, “That war in Khartoum is happening because two political leaders cannot agree with one another and the whole population has to suffer because of it.” 

“Politics is a question of give and take. You negotiate, you sit around the table, but if you go into your own bastions and start to throw stones at each other, sooner or later you will hit somebody on the head and then it doesn't work anymore,” Archbishop van Megen said.

Credit: ACI Africa

He also said that the violence in Sudan ought to act as a warning for Kenya where there are rising political tensions and “a lot of accusations” and counter-accusations as well as “suspicion”. 

The representative of the Holy Father in Kenya and South Sudan urged Kenyan politicians “to sit around the table and come up with solutions for the good of the country, for every Kenyan from whatever tribe or language he might speak.”

Meanwhile, during the May 6 Consecration event, members of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) expressed their solidarity with the people of God in Sudan amid ongoing violence. 

Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde of Kenya's Mombosa Archdiocese. Credit: ACI Africa

“Many people are walking down from north to south to seek foreign refuge, including our Religious men and women. We want to remember them at this particular moment as we send our greetings of condolences and pray with them,” KCCB chairman, Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde, said. 

The Local Ordinary of Mombasa Archdiocese added that the Church leaders in Kenya are praying for the return of peace in Sudan.

Sudan’s rival factions arrived in Saudi Arabia on May 6 for direct talks, with Reuters reporting that “Sudanese are pinning their hopes on talks in Saudi Arabia between envoys of warring factions to end bloodshed that has killed hundreds and triggered a mass exodus.”

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The U.S. and Saudi governments, which have brought the two sides together after a number of fruitless attempts, have partly stated in their joint statement, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States urge both parties to take into consideration the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people and actively engage in the talks toward a ceasefire and end to the conflict.”