Sudanese Catholic bishop seriously injured in Rapid Forces attack

ACI Africa, December 6, 2024 / 10:55 am

The bishop of the Diocese of El-Obeid in Sudan has shared his harrowing experience at the hands of Rapid support forces (RSF), who tortured him and left him seriously injured.

Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andaliwho was accompanied by a deacon, fell into the hands of the paramilitaries while traveling to the besieged country.

He shared his horrible experience with Bishop. Edward Hiiboro Kussala from South Sudan Diocese of Tombura-Yambiowho shared the report with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on December 1. Neither bishop was available to provide further details about where the bishop and deacon were traveling from when they encountered their attackers.

In the report, Tombe Trille, former president of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conferencewrote about how he and the deacon were first harassed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), who are in conflict with the RSF in the country’s worst civil war, which is still ongoing.

He wrote to Hiiboro saying: “I have just arrived at El Obeid together with Deacon Joseph. “This time they treated me badly.”

He reported: “On the part of the army, they took some cash in dollars from me under the pretext that I was carrying the prohibited hard currency.”

After harassment by the SAF, the two encountered the RSF, who beat the bishop and left him for dead.

“From Rapid Forces, I received countless strong blows to the neck, forehead, face and two sides of the head,” the bishop said.

When he wrote to his fellow bishop, Tombe Trille told him that he was so badly injured that he could not move his jaw. “I can’t bite my food,” he said.

“Together with (Deacon Joseph), we were on the verge of martyrdom (before) a leader said, ‘Enough is enough,’” he said in his note to Hiiboro, in which he also expressed gratitude for the “prayers of many.”

This is not the first time Tombe Trille has faced death as the war continues in Sudan, where he has been serving since he was ordained to the El-Obeid clergy 33 years ago.

On April 20, 2023, just five days after the fighting between the SAF and the RSF. burstthe 60-year-old bishop and some other clerics narrowly missed escaped death when the rockets hit the cathedral facilities, destroying the main door of the Cathedral of Mary Queen of Africa and the priests’ residence.

The incident is said to have occurred when the bishop of El-Obeid and the priests were praying. Fortunately no one was injured.

Tombe Trille has been outspoken about the Sudanese war which has reportedly caused tens of thousands of deaths and mass displacement. interrogation the will of the parties in conflict to lay down their arms.

The war, now in its second year, has reportedly It caused 61,202 deaths, according to the Sudan Research Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which also reported that 26,024 of those killed died from direct injuries due to the conflict.

In an interview with ACI Africa last year, Tombe Trille lamented that a wide scope had been given to dialogue between the two opposing forces, saying: “So far there is not even a hint about the light of peace dialogue that can bring hope to the Sudanese. .”

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“I think our leaders are not prepared for peace. Fights and conflicts have an advantage when we hear them say, ‘Unless we defeat the other group, we will not lay down our arms,’” he said.

The bishop warned that “the more fighting, the more people are dispersed” and “the more hatred grows between the various Sudanese ethnic groups.”

He asked for prayer and noted that the humanitarian situation in the country was terrible.

He also called on the people of neighboring South Sudan to share what little they have with Sudanese fleeing the conflict and make the refugees feel at home.

this story was published for the first time by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with experience in digital and journalistic reporting. She holds a master’s degree in digital journalism from the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications and a bachelor’s degree in linguistics, media and communications from Moi University in Kenya. Agnes currently works as a journalist for ACI Africa.