Pope Leo XIV called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan and the creation of humanitarian corridors to help civilians caught up in the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Addressing pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square after the Angelus prayer, Leo said he was particularly concerned about civilians suffering in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state.
“In expressing my spiritual closeness to all the people of the nation, I renew my appeal to those in authority to guarantee humanitarian corridors for the civilian population,” he said.
He also urged the international community to help bring about an immediate ceasefire.
“May the Lord sustain those who are suffering, convert the hearts of those who sow violence, and grant the long-awaited peace,” Leo said.
The pope’s comments came as the United Nations has warned of the risk of mass atrocities in El Obeid, where the RSF has deployed forces around the city.
In June, the U.N. Security Council expressed alarm over the RSF buildup around El Obeid and demanded that the paramilitary group halt its assault on the city.
The council also voiced concern over escalating violence in Sudan’s Kordofan states, including reports of RSF drone strikes, and called for investigations into alleged abuses and violations of international law.
U.N. Women has also raised concerns about the impact of the fighting on women and girls in El Obeid.
Anna Mutavati, U.N. Women’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, said during a July 24 briefing in Geneva that drone attacks during the day and sexual violence at night had left women and girls with no safe time to collect water.
Many women and girls had been “harassed, raped and subjected to other forms of sexual violence” while trying to obtain drinking water, Mutavati said.
The U.N. Human Rights Office has said drone strikes across Sudan killed 880 civilians in the first four months of 2026. U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk warned that the conflict was entering an increasingly deadly phase.
Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the army and the RSF, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions.
The conflict has also created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with millions facing severe food shortages and limited access to healthcare and other basic services.
Leo has repeatedly called for an end to wars and respect for international humanitarian law, urging parties to conflicts to pursue diplomacy and dialogue.
“War only begets more war and causes immense suffering,” he said. “It is time to put an end to this vicious cycle of violence and make room for diplomacy and dialogue, so as to open the way to peace.”
and then