According to the Sudanese bishops' conference, the Cathedral of the Queen of Africa of the Diocese of El-Obeid in the country was hit by a missile.
G. Tran Duc Anh, OP | RVA
Catholic radio station CRN reported that during a press conference on April 24, Father Peter Suleiman said: “The first missile hit the houses of the priests and the second exploded in front of the main church gate. The court broke the windows. At that time, there was Father Michael Konji, who was bedridden in the priests' home. Bishop Yunan Tombe and the priests were unharmed, but their homes were destroyed. All of this happened while the diocesan bishop and other priests were praying before the Blessed Sacrament.”
Since April 15, fighting has broken out between forces loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Provisional Government Council, and fast-supporting paramilitary forces, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo in command.
In recent days, nearly 450 civilians have been killed and 10,000 refugees have fled to neighboring South Sudan. Father Suleiman said: "The Church is in harmony with the people looking for peace, how to get the warring factions to stop fighting and sit down at the negotiating table."
In 2017, dictator Umar al-Bashir, now ousted, opened the way for Russia to Sudan, as a gateway to Africa. According to the US broadcaster CNN, the fast-support paramilitary force has been helped by a group of Russian mercenaries Wagner. The group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is licensed to mine gold, and in return Russia supplies the paramilitary force with weapons, including surface-to-air missiles.
(Acistampa, June 26-4-2023
