He issued a stark warning at the end of Bishop Cleophas Oseso Tuka's Consecration Mass.

Unless the Sudan war is halted in time, the violence and horror scenes will "spill over" to neighbouring countries, he said.

"It will spill over into South Sudan; that means we will have it at the borders of Kenya and Uganda."

At least 528 people have been killed and 4,599 injured since the war erupted on April 15.

Many more are thought to have died because critical services have been disrupted.

Van Megen acknowledged the international community's efforts to end the violence. Politicians from the warring factions are to blame, he indicated.

These factions are the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on one side and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the other. The RSF is the paramilitary force under General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo,

"The International Community is working very hard to get things back into place and up to now it hasn't really worked ... the two parties involved are not really ready to listen to each other," van Megan said.

"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."

He also said Kenyans should see Sudan's violence as a warning.

Kenyans are experiencing rising political tensions and "a lot of accusations," counter-accusations and "suspicion," he said.

He 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."

Kenyan Bishops

The Kenya Catholic Bishops Conference is also concerned and are expressing their solidarity with God's people in Sudan.

"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," they said. Church leaders in Kenya are praying for peace to return to Sudan.

Sudan's rival factions arrived in Saudi Arabia on May 6 for direct talks.

"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," Reuters reported.

The US and Saudi governments have managed to bring both sides together.

"We ...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," they said.

Source

• Apostolic Nuncio

Caritas Australia expresses gratitude for Australia's commitment of $6 million in urgent humanitarian assistance to address the escalating conflict in Sudan.

The conflict has exacerbated the existing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, a country already grappling with drought and chronic instability.

Even prior to the current turmoil, over 15 million people, one-third of Sudan's population, faced acute food insecurity. A further 3.7 million were internally displaced and heavily reliant on humanitarian aid.

As the conflict unfolds, hundreds of thousands of people, including those previously displaced, have been forced from their homes.

"This initial commitment by the Australian Government is a solid first step towards addressing the humanitarian needs of this crisis in a region that is already suffering," said Melville Fernandez, Caritas Australia's Humanitarian Emergencies Associate Director.

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"I am following with concern the events unfolding in Sudan," he said on April 16 from a window overlooking St Peter's Square.

"I am close to the Sudanese people, already so tried, and I invite you to pray so that they might lay down their arms and pick up the path of peace and harmony," he added.

The pontiff's call for unity and compassion comes amidst ongoing violence in Sudan, a country ravaged by years of conflict and political instability.

Fighting intensified in Sudan's capital of Khartoum and other cities after skirmishes broke out on Saturday morning between the Sudan army and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

The clashes have erupted after almost a year and a half of military rule and have ended hopes for a peaceful transition of power.

At least 56 people have been killed and almost 600 injured, according to reports. Fighting is reportedly taking place primarily in residential areas of the city, where civilians have been sheltering indoors since Saturday morning.

Sudan plagued by political instability

Sudan, located in northeast Africa, has been plagued by political instability for years. In 2019, mass protests led to the military ousting of long-time leader Omar al-Bashir.

However, the country's power-sharing government was overthrown in 2021.

Two men took control: the head of the army, General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan and his deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who also leads a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The two leaders hold differing opinions on how to restore civilian rule to Sudan.

While the RSF leader claims to represent marginalised groups against the country's elites, his forces have been accused of committing acts of ethnic cleansing.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has reiterated Pope Francis' call for peace in Sudan and an immediate end to armed hostilities for the sake of the Sudanese people, who are already facing economic hardship, human rights abuses and political instability.

The WCC is "deeply saddened by the sudden escalation of conflict" between the Sudanese Armed Forces led by General al-Burhan, head of Sudan's transitional governing Sovereign Council, and the RSF led by General Dagalo, said WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay in a statement.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

La Croix International

BBC

CathNews