Uganda Episcopal Conference / Facebook
CV NEWSFEED // Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali, bishop of the El-Obeid Diocese in North Kurdufan state, suffered a brutal beating at the hands of members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in late November.
The attack occurred Nov. 30, as Bishop Tombe and a church deacon, identified only as Joseph, were returning from a National Eucharistic Congress and celebrations of 50 years of the Catholic Church hierarchy in Sudan, Morning Star News reported.
Bishop Tombe described the violent attack, stating he suffered numerous blows to his head and neck, leaving him unable to eat or move his jaws.
Bishop Tombe, who has served the diocese for more than 30 years, expressed gratitude for narrowly escaping death when an RSF leader intervened to stop the beating.
“On the side of Rapid Forces, I was given countless heavy blows on the neck, forehead, on my face and two sides of my head,” Bishop Tombe wrote to Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio. “Together with deacon [Joseph], we narrowly missed martyrdom when one leader said that is enough.”
Bishop Matthew Remijo Adam of the Catholic Diocese of Wau said that RSF militants had initially planned to kill Bishop Tombe but were convinced to let him go by one of their members.
Prior to the assault by the RSF, Bishop Tombe and deacon Joseph were confronted by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers, who also physically assaulted Bishop Tombe. The soldiers also confiscated his money under the false pretense of illegal currency possession.
Bishop Tombe, a vocal advocate for peace in Sudan, survived a deadly incident in April 2023 when rockets struck the Mary Queen of Africa Cathedral, where he was praying. Five days after the attack on the Cathedral, fighting erupted between the RSF and SAF. Since then, the conflict has claimed around 61,000 lives and displaced 11.2 million people.
In response to the attack on Bishop Tombe, Bishop Remijo has appealed to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit to ensure Bishop Tombe’s safety or facilitate his relocation from the Diocese.
Sudan ranks eighth on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of countries where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. There are currently 2 million Christians living in the country.
