A Catholic priest, who chose to remain with his parish despite escalating violence in Sudan, has been killed by militants.
Fr Youhana Alamin, parish priest of St Vincent’s Parish in Kauda, was killed alongside one of his watchmen on Friday 19th June. A second watchman was seriously injured and remains in hospital, but survived the attack.
Sources from the Diocese of El Obeid told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that Father Alamin had been preparing to evacuate after militants entered the church compound in the Nuba mountains the previous day, demanding access to the parish’s medical store.
“The storekeeper had no choice but to cooperate with them, handing the key. They took medical supplies and whatever their hands could grasp,” the diocesan source said.
Fr Youhana reported the theft to church authorities and was making plans to leave, but militants returned the next morning.
“Unfortunately, on Friday the group military faction returned to the church compound and sought the room of the Father who was with his two watchmeN," the source added. "They were shown the room of Fr Youhana Alamin, they then opened his room and shot him dead with his two watchmen. However, one watchman survived and is in hospital. He reported the incident.”
Kauda is known as the base of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), a militant group. The deteriorating security situation in the region has forced some religious personnel to evacuate, but Fr Youhana was among the few who stayed to serve his community.
The church in Kauda had been providing healthcare assistance to vulnerable families. Local clergy believe the attack was a retaliation, as militants suspected the theft of the medicines had been reported.
Locals are now longing for justice and truth, as they await an investigation into the attacks.
“We entrust Fr Youhana and the other victims to the mercy of God and pray for comfort and strength for their families, parishioners, and all those affected by this tragedy,” said the source.
Tributes have come from across the region, including St Peter’s, Babnusa, where Father Alamin served from 1997 to 2021. The parish remembered him as “a friend of the youth and children”, and saying, “he loved his work until the very end.”