On Dec. 18, looters attacked Itang Catholic Mission in Ethiopia. The incident is a casualty of the longstanding conflict between the Anyuak and Nuer tribes.

At dawn, starting at 5:30 a.m., members of the Nuer tribe took over the parish and used it as a base to attack the Anyuak people.

At 8 a.m., large groups of the Nuer tribe arrived in 20 dump trucks, carrying pickaxes and metal bars. They assailed the priest’s home and church, trashing each building and stealing valuables until one priest said that “not even a teaspoon [was] left in the house.”

Father David Kulandai Samy called the assault “unforgettable” and a “painful situation.” It disturbed him to know that some of the people involved were members of his church.

“In this tragic incident, what was more painful is to know some of them who came to loot were our own Catholic faithful, catechists, youth leaders, and choir members belonging to that particular ethnic group,” Samy told Aid to the Church in Need.

He returned to the parish in January to properly secure the doors. As he walked through its remains, he found bullet holes in the walls and severely damaged roof sheets.

Mass kits, altar clothes, electrical goods, and school items were stolen. Many of his own belongings were also taken. Food that had been stored away was ransacked, and important identification documents were thrown across the road. A statue of Jesus and a new crib were also destroyed.

Itang Catholic Mission is not the only parish affected by the fighting. At least two other parishes in the area are badly damaged.

“It is heartbreaking to see a developing mission collapse to zero again,” Samy said. “All property damaged, looted, and people killed, wounded, and scattered. May God help and give us courage to continue in his mission.”

Story by Bella Agnello

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