Leo XIV prays for the 1,000 victims buried in landslide in Sudan

The island of Tarsín, located west of Sudan, was completely razed by a landslide caused by heavy rains. At least a thousand people died buried and there are still missing people.

In the midst of the third civil war in the history of the country, the Rebelde Group Movement of Liberation of Sudan (SLM) reported on this devastating tragedy, which occurred last Sunday.

In a condolences telegram directed on Tuesday to Mons. Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali, Bishop of El-Obeid, and signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo XIV expressed his deep sadness when he know what happened in this village of the Central Region of Darfur.

The Pontiff also transmitted his spiritual closeness to all those affected and assured their prayers especially for “the eternal rest of the deceased, for whom they cry their loss and the rescue of the many people still missing.”

He also directed words of encouragement to civil authorities and emergency personnel in his continuous help efforts. Finally, he invoked “the divine blessings of comfort and strength.”

Since April 15, 2023, armed clashes between the Army, commanded by President Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Fast Support Forces (FAR), an irregular group directed by Mohammed “Hemedti” Hamdan Dagalo, the vice president of the country, were unleashed in Sudan.

Both sides together deposed the transition regime, established after the overthrow of the Omar Al-Bashir dictator in 2019. Once their objective, the Sudanese army and the FAR faced the control of the country’s wealth, especially gold and oil, once achieved.