Diocese in South Sudan 'completely destroyed' by new fighting
March 15, 2014: A Church leader in South Sudan has reported that much of his dioceses
has been “completely destroyed” in fighting that has continued despite announcements
of a cease-fire in the young African nation.
Msgr. Roko Taban, the apostolic
administrator of the Malakal diocese, told Aid to the Church in Need that thousands
of people have abandoned their homes to escape a new rebel offensive. ““We have lost
everything-- all our possessions,” he said. “Many of our churches, homes and so on
have been razed to the ground – and everything has been looted.” He reported that
all the women religious living in the region had left, and the last four bishops of
the Malakal diocese were planning their own departure this week.
Despite the
cease-fire announced in January between rebels and the government, the fighting that
erupted in December has continued, with both sides accusing the other of breaking
the agreement. The UN warned in February that the gtovernment of South Sudan—which
became independent from Sudan in 2011 after a long and bloody civil war—was in danger
of collapse. As many as 900,000 people have been driven from their homes by the new
outbreak of violence, the UN reports.
Msgr. Taban said displaced people from
the Malakal diocese have disappeared into the bush, fled to other small villages,
or sought help in a UN refugee camps. None of these places is equipped to handle the
influx, he said, and the refugees face a dire need for food, housing, clothing, and
medical supplies. (Source: CWN)