Bishops condemn massacre of 178 in South Sudan

Catholic bishops in Sudan and South Sudan have voiced deep anguish following the killing of nearly 178 people in northern South Sudan, warning that the country risks sliding more toward large-scale conflict.

The attack occurred March 2 in the Ruweng Administrative Area, where unidentified armed youths — reportedly linked to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition — carried out a deadly assault. Local authorities say at least 90 civilians, including women, children and the elderly, were killed alongside 79 soldiers. Survivors fled to a nearby United Nations peacekeeping base in search of protection.

As reported by Fredrick Nzwili for OSV News, the massacre is the latest episode of violence threatening the fragile stability of the world’s youngest nation.

Bishop Christian Carlassare of Bentiu said the gunfire could even be heard at the Parish of Mary Help of Christians in his diocese as the attack unfolded.

“Our land is being wounded by conflict. We do not need to experience more conflicts. Conflict only brings destruction, fear and deeper suffering,” Bishop Carlassare told OSV News in WhatsApp messages. The bishop also said it remains unclear who carried out the killings, but he appealed for an end to violence and urged all parties to choose dialogue instead of revenge.

“We do not yet know who is responsible for this criminal act, but whoever is involved, we appeal to every heart: Choose dialogue, not violence. Choose the courage of peace over the illusion of power,” he said. “Let us protect the little we have left and refuse to allow hatred to take more from our people.”

On the same day as the attack, the bishops of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a strong condemnation of the killings. In a statement signed by 10 bishops, including Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba, the conference described the massacre as a shocking descent into violence where the sanctity of human life is disregarded.

“We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, these heinous and senseless killings,” the bishops said. “There can be no justification whatsoever for the murder of civilians […] 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”.

At the same time, the bishops warned that a dangerous culture of retaliation has taken hold in parts of society.

“With pastoral honesty, we must confront a painful truth: the culture of deadly revenge has taken root,” they said, cautioning that cycles of revenge driven by anger, collective blame and historical grievances continue to weaken communities and rob children of a future.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, but only two years later the country descended into a brutal civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions.

A peace agreement signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2018 formally ended nationwide fighting and created a transitional government. Yet many key provisions of the accord — including national elections and security reforms — remain unfulfilled, leaving tensions unresolved.

Church leaders have long played a role in efforts to promote reconciliation. One of the most memorable moments came in April 2019, when Pope Francis knelt and kissed the feet of South Sudan’s political leaders during a retreat at the Vatican, pleading with them to pursue peace.

Today, bishops warn that the country’s fragile peace remains under threat unless leaders act decisively to break the cycle of violence.

By various lists, the region ranks at the top of the list of most serious humanitarian crises in the world simply because of the sheer number of people involved.