Pope Leo XIV has appealed to world leaders and humanitarian organisations to act swiftly in response to the escalating crisis in Sudan, where war, famine, disease and a calamitous mudslide have combined to create one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world.
In a recent General Audience, the Pope described the situation as “dramatic,” drawing particular attention to El Fasher in Darfur, where civilians remain trapped amid siege, violence and hunger.
Referring to the hundreds of thousands suffering, he called on the international community to establish “humanitarian corridors” and coordinate relief efforts.
His words came as Sudan grapples not only with a civil war but also with a deadly natural disaster. Heavy rains in the Marra Mountains set off a mudslide last week, taking the lives of over a thousand people and burying villages in Eastern Sudan under mud and rock.
In the town of Tarasin, he said, the catastrophe had left “pain and despair,” compounded by the spread of cholera across already weakened communities.
The Pope urged “serious, sincere and inclusive dialogue” to end the 29-month war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, whose battle for control has devastated the country since April 2023.
The conflict has left as many as 150,000 people dead, displaced 12 million, and left 30 million in need of humanitarian aid.
“It is time to … end the conflict and restore hope, dignity and peace to the people of Sudan,” the Pope stated.
He concluded by inviting the faithful worldwide to join him in prayer for victims of the Marra Mountains disaster and for families enduring the war: “I am closer than ever to the Sudanese people, especially families, children and displaced persons.
“Even in the midst of such tragedies may we never lose hope in God’s love for us.”
Sudan’s crisis continues to deepen as key cities, including El Fasher, Kadugli and El Obeid, remain under siege.
UN aid agencies warn that with access blocked and the collapse of basic services, the country is facing famine on a massive scale.
Rival factions in the war have been charged with grave human rights violations, including rape, torture, and deliberate attacks on civilians.
