Tragedy in South Sudan: Bishops Condemn Massacre of 178 People
Catholic leaders in Sudan and South Sudan are reeling after a brutal assault in the Ruweng Administrative Area on March 2 left nearly 178 people dead. Local officials report that unidentified armed youths—suspected of ties to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition—targeted the area, claiming the lives of 90 civilians (including children and the elderly) and 79 soldiers.
A Call for Stability and Justice
The bishops’ conference, led by Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, released a joint statement signed by ten bishops. They described the massacre as a "descent into the abyss of human depravity," stressing that the sanctity of life is being ignored with "alarming impunity."
On the Massacre: “We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, these heinous and senseless killings. There can be no justification whatsoever for the murder of civilians.”
On the Location: “The blood of our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters shed not on the battlefield, but within their own communities, cries out to Heaven.”
On the Cycle of Retaliation: “With pastoral honesty, we must confront a painful truth: the culture of deadly revenge has taken root in parts of our society.”
The leadership warned that these cycles of revenge, fueled by historical grievances, are effectively robbing South Sudanese children of their future.
Context of a Fragile Peace
South Sudan has struggled to find footing since its 2011 independence. Despite the 2018 Revitalized Agreement and a historic 2019 gesture by Pope Francis—who knelt to kiss the feet of the nation's political leaders to encourage peace—much of the pact remains unimplemented.
Image: Ramciel Broadcasting
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