Pope Leo XIV has called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Sudan after the army led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan vowed to continue the devastating war and eradicate the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces by the end of this year.
“I urge the international community to support efforts aimed at bringing about an immediate ceasefire,” Pope Leo said. “Let us pray that the Lord may sustain those who are suffering, convert the hearts of those who sow violence, and grant the long-awaited peace.”
His call, during an address on Sunday, came days after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said they would continue fighting to defeat the RSF by the end of 2026. Analysts said that goal was too ambitious given the paramilitary group's deep entrenchment in western Sudan.
Gen Al Burhan has resisted mediation offers by regional and international powers and vowed to pursue war despite calls to end the conflict and reinstall civilian rule. The RSF's leader, Gen Mohamed Dagalo, on the other hand, appears to be more open to negotiations, although his stance is widely suspected to be motivated by a desire to gain legitimacy.
The Sudanese army is accused of atrocities including indiscriminate bombing and the use of chemical weapons. The RSF has also been placed under sanctions over alleged war crimes. Both sides' commanders are already under sanctions.
Sudan's military leadership has also been facing mounting scrutiny after announcing plans to integrate Islamist extremist militias once loyal to former president Omar Al Bashir's regime. Those militias, critics contend, have compensated the army for its manpower shortage but have an interest in prolonging the war until Islamists complete a political comeback after their ousting in the 2018-2019 uprising.
“I continue to follow with concern the tragic situation in Sudan, especially in the city of Al Obeid,” Pope Leo said. He called for humanitarian corridors for civilians while expressing his “spiritual closeness” to the Sudanese people.
Access to food and health care is severely limited in Al Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state. Last month, the UN's human rights chief, Volker Turk, warned that a human rights catastrophe was unfolding amid intensifying fighting.
The war, now in its fourth year, has sparked one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, displacing about 14 million people. It broke out when differences between Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo boiled over into open hostilities that began in the capital, Khartoum, but soon spread across the country.
Apart from Darfur, the RSF controls parts of the Kordofan and Blue Nile regions, while the SAF controls the capital as well as northern, central and eastern Sudan. Each side has its own government, with the army-aligned administration sitting in Port Sudan on the Red Sea and the RSF's in Nyala in Darfur.
