Pope Francis has appealed to Sudan’s warring parties to put an end to the conflict that has seen millions displaced and prompted warnings of famine, according to Vatican news.
Pope Francis launched the appeal on Sunday after praying the Angelus prayer with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.
The pontiff observed that 10 months had passed since the civil war – that saw some 9 million people internally displaced – broke out, leading to a serious humanitarian situation.
“I once again ask the warring parties to stop this war, which causes so much harm to the people and the future of the country,” he said. “Let us pray that paths to peace are soon found to build the future of dear Sudan.”
He also prayed for people suffering from conflict in other countries on the African continent, as well as in Ukraine and the Holy Land.
Despite attempts to bring the devastating conflict in Sudan to an end, heavy fighting is continuing in the country.
Sudan has been witnessing armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the war.
Now, the Sudanese military has claimed its major advance in Omdurman for the first time since the conflict with the paramilitary RSF erupted.
Omdurman is regarded as the twin city to Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, which sits on the opposite side of the Nile.
On Sunday, reports suggested that the SAF have joined their peers in the engineering corps in the south of the city, where they have been surrounded by the RSF for the last ten months.
The clashes in Sudan have left more than 25 million people reliant on humanitarian assistance with eight million forced from their homes, including 1.6 million who have fled to other countries.