Upper Kauda St. Vincent Catholic Parish in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains had long served as a place of worship, education, and humanitarian care for a community living amid conflict.

On June 19, the place of refuge came under attack after a 48-hour ultimatum issued by Izzat Kuku, a Muslim leader commanding forces linked to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), which is currently in coalition with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). 

“What happened in Kauda was a calculated plot by the Islamic Movement,” Chief Kuku Aldkhor Tangila said. “Everything we had heard about them was carried out in our village. Children were killed. Women were raped. Pastors were murdered. Our homes and properties were looted. This was not random violence; it was a deliberate demonstration of their intentions against our people.” 

The ultimatum ordered Pastor Youhana Al-Amin and those with him to leave the parish. The deadline expired at exactly 1 p.m. that day, and then the attack began. SPLM-N forces under Izzat Kuku’s command moved on the parish with deliberate force. 

Inside the compound, Pastor Al-Amin was killed. Security guard Youna Markos and storekeeper John Adam were beaten and left seriously injured. Two staff members from the Department of Education were also killed during the invasion. 

A Community in Mourning

The assault did not stop at the parish walls. Surrounding areas, including Jabadi, Joper, and nearby neighborhoods, were looted and set ablaze. Homes and livelihoods were destroyed. Families fled, carrying what little they could, as fear spread across the community.

“As the Church and as the Council of Churches, we strongly condemn these atrocities carried out under the watch of the SPLM-N,” Pastor Yacoub said. “They have killed our children, our youth, and our pastors. We call on the government to examine whether these actions align with the manifesto they claim to uphold. We stand firmly against such a movement and the suffering it has brought upon our people.” 

In the days that followed, survivors and witnesses described a community left reeling, grieving its dead, tending to its wounded, and struggling to hold on to faith amid the ruins. 

“What has happened is truly heartbreaking,” said Benjamin Osman Arid, a church member. “The attack was disguised as punishment for eight commanders who supposedly disobeyed the movement, but that can never justify the massacre of our children. We watched some of our little ones burn inside their homes. I myself have lost my children. I do not even know if they are still alive. Right now, we are hiding in caves, living in constant fear that the attackers will return.” 

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