Sudan: Priest who refused to evacuate volatile region murdered by militants

Father Youhana Alamin © ACN

Source: Aid to the Church in Need

A priest who remained with his parish in Sudan - despite growing violence - was killed after the theft of vital medicines intended for local people.

Father Youhana Alamin, parish priest of St Vincent's Parish in Kauda, was fatally shot on Friday, 19 June, in the Nuba Mountains, along with one watchman who was also killed and another who survived.

Sources from El Obeid Diocese told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the priest was planning to evacuate after militants entered the church premises the day before (18 June) demanding access to the medical store to take supplies. But they returned the next morning and gunned down the priest with his two watchmen.

The source, who can't be named for security reasons, said: "On Thursday 18 June a group of military faction came to the church compound premises and demanded access to the medical store to take medical supplies. Given the current situation the storekeeper had no choice that cooperate with them handing the key and they took medical supplies and whatever with their hands grasped as much as they could take."

He said Fr Alamin alerted clergy about the robbery and was preparing to evacuate but never got the chance.

Clergy believe the militants believed the theft had been reported and it was a retaliation attack.

The diocesan source added: "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… 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 the Nuba Mountains base of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a militant organisation.

In recent months, the deteriorating security situation, together with armed and tribal conflicts, saw some religious personnel evacuate from the region.

But Fr Alamin chose to remain with his community, becoming one of the few priests still ministering in this highly volatile area. Sources said his role extended beyond spiritual care, with the Church acting as a vital source of healthcare and support for the most vulnerable.

The El Obeid source added: "We await the investigation of the local authority with hope it brings the perpetrators to book. 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."

ACN received a message of condolence from St Peter's, Babnusa where the priest served from 1997 to 2021, arriving as a seminarian, later becoming a deacon, then parish priest.

The parish said: "He was a friend of the youth and the children, and he loved his work until the very end."

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Aid to the Church in Need: https://acnuk.org