First priest believed to be killed in Sudan conflict

Fr Luka Jomo.

Authors: Maria Lozano & Xavi Burgos

Fr Luka Jomo, the parish priest in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in Sudan, was killed during an attack by paramilitary militias on the city, which has been under siege since April 2023. He is believed to be the first Catholic priest killed during the conflict.

“Dear fathers, sisters, and all the faithful. It is with great sorrow that I write to inform you of Fr Luka Jomo’s passing to the Father’s House this morning (June 13) at 3 a.m. in El Fasher,” wrote Fr.Abdallah Hussein, Vicar General of the Diocese of El Obeid, Sudan. “The cause of death was a stray bullet that took his life and that of two other young people. Let us unite in prayer and ask God the Father that their souls may rest in peace,” he said in a statement shared with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Local sources explained that the city has been under siege for nearly two years by the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary militia.

“The city remains surrounded, despite the United Nations calling for humanitarian aid to be allowed in, which the militias have refused,” the sources told ACN. “In recent months, the bombings and militia attacks have intensified, and during one of these attacks, a likely stray bullet ended [Father Jomo’s] life. We do not believe he was the intended target.”

The sources said that since January, they had been trying to help Father Jomo leave the city, “but it was impossible to escape due to the complete encirclement by the militias.”

Catholic schools remain open

In January, Bishop Yunan Tombe of El-Obeid told ACN that “all Muslim schools closed after a shell killed 35 girls in a school in the city.” Despite everything, “the local Catholic Church continues operating six kindergartens, six primary schools, and one secondary school in El-Obeid — the only educational institutions still open.”

The city of El-Obeid, which had about 358,000 inhabitants in 2008, is under the control of Sudanese military forces and has been completely besieged by the paramilitary militias known as the “Rapid Support Forces” since April 15, 2023. Although many Christians managed to flee, around 300 families remained in the city — mostly elderly people, women, and children, but also others who had escaped from Khartoum and were passing through when the siege began.

Since the beginning of the war, many people have sought refuge on church compounds, and the Church in Sudan has almost no resources. ACN is supporting about 500 families in the Archdiocese of Khartoum with money for food, medical treatment, mosquito nets, tarpaulins and blankets. Part of the donation will also be used for transportation to the border, for internally displaced persons who want to go to South Sudan.

Regarding the tragedy involving Fr Jomo, Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International, said: “Let us pray for the eternal rest of Father Luka and the two others who died in El Fasher, and for their families and community. But also for all Christians in Sudan and all the people of this country, victims of war and violence, so that they may soon attain the longed-for peace”.