From the voice of our Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide Thouret forced to leave Sudan:

“At twenty to seven, on the way to school, the street was, like every Saturday, no crowd of school buses and transports. Before we could even finish the morning routine, the fighting broke. The sound of gunfire spread quickly. Fighter aircraft flew over our heads, the sound of explosions and gunfire echoed around us, black clouds and smoke filled the sky. In the blink of an eye, we found ourselves in a horror zone: it was terrifying and the beginning of a long nightmare. The worst was the unknown. As night came on, the sound of heavy weapons arose, warfighters’ aircraft jets flew, and the silence of death fell. We found ourselves scattered, and I was cut off from the community for two days”.

So opens the dramatic testimony of the Sisters of Charity forced to hastily leave the Comboni School in Izba, a vast working-class area on the outskirts of Khartoum North, on the edge of the industrial zone, for more than a year now ravaged by a war that no one cares about.

A war that pits army and militia against each other, where no one wins or loses, only continue to die.

“Lonely, lying on the ground at school, I said -this is the end, it won’t be long before a bomb or even a plane falls on our heads, destroying everything and putting us in its flames. If death does not come here tonight, we are still close to the school, and a few meters away are the dead bodies in the streets. If the terrifying situation continues, no doubt the deadly flames will soon visit us-”

“I thought: -with no water and no electricity, people have not received their salaries yet. There is a shortage of goods, and fuel, markets have been destroyed, stores were burned, food production industries, banks and other establishments were looted. Doctors were killed, most hospitals were taken over and pharmacy were looted as well-. Bodies lay on the streets and in houses with no possibility of burial. Two of our pupils were killed, houses burned, and reports of sexual abuse spread. Finding ourselves, the only three women in the neighborhood, was even more terrifying.”

“We were forced to evacuate, leaving everything: the people we loved and served with affection, the children in whom we saw a speck of bright future, and our faithful brothers and sisters, thirsty for God’s word, our house, our history, our identity, ourselves. We left without saying goodbye, with broken hearts.”

Our Sisters were forced to share the harrowing experience of having to leave the country along with many others: “Everyone is fleeing Sudan”, a missionary told Vatican News on 19 September 2024. “The men are fleeing, horrified by a war between the army and militias that brings only devastation and death. Women flee, maddened by the urgency of bringing their children to safety. Muslims flee, the religious majority tired of seeing their homes and shops attacked, their throats slit or their loved ones shot in cold blood. Also fleeing are the Catholics, who before the outbreak of the conflict were a tiny minority of one million but today are barely half that number. They try to escape where they can, to South Sudan, to Chad, to Egypt“.

“Weapons reached the hands of children, and hunger became the second enemy, prompting some parents and their children to loot houses in search of food”.

“This is some of my experiences over fifteen day. What about those who are still experiencing this today. No security, no medical care. One of our students was raped and died, three were killed by a bomb, one was raped and died during labour, she was just 16. Despite all this, let us not forget the presence of God in our midst, the blessing continued. Every day, I asked, -what more will happen today? Will it be our turn?-. We fell into a trap, but the trap broke and we survived. And I believe that The Lord will heal and bring peace“.

Testimony received by sister Luna
on the occasion of International Day of Peace, 21 September 2024.
Source: https://www.suoredellacarita.org/

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