Fr Youhanna Al-Amin, the parish priest of St. Vincent’s Parish in Kauda, was tragically killed on Friday, 19 June, together with two other people in the Nuba Mountains, a region of Sudan that has suffered the consequences of war and instability for decades. According to information received by the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) from local sources, the priest was killed amid growing tribal tensions and internal disputes among armed factions operating in the area. The same sources indicate that the crime appears to have been an act of retaliation after he reported the theft of medicines that the Church was safeguarding for the benefit of the local population.
Escalating conflict and pastoral presence in Kauda
Kauda serves as the main centre of the areas of the Nuba Mountains controlled by the SPLM-N. In recent months, the deteriorating security situation, together with armed and tribal conflicts, had forced the evacuation of some religious personnel from the region. Fr Youhanna, however, chose to remain with the community he served, becoming one of the few priests still carrying out his ministry in this region very much affected by violence and war in Sudan.
Those who knew him emphasize that he did not abandon his people when circumstances became increasingly difficult. His role extended far beyond spiritual care. As is often the case in remote and impoverished regions where ACN supports pastoral projects, the Church served as a vital source of healthcare assistance and structural support for the most vulnerable members of society.
The ministry and legacy of Fr Youhanna Al-Amin
News of his death has caused deep shock throughout the Diocese of El Obeid. For nearly three decades, the priest accompanied generations of faithful, becoming a much-loved figure both within and beyond the Catholic community. In a message of condolence received by ACN, St Peter’s Parish in Babnusa recalled that the priest served there from 1997 to 2021. He first arrived as a young seminarian, later became a deacon, then a priest, and finally the parish priest of the community:
“He was a friend of the youth and the children, and he loved his work until the very end”.
Continuous violent attacks against the Church in Sudan
The death of the parish priest adds to a series of violent incidents that have affected the Catholic Church in Sudan in recent years. In June 2025, Fr Luka Jomo, a priest of the Diocese of El Obeid, was killed by a stray bullet during an attack on the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State. Months earlier, Bishop Yunan Tombe was brutally beaten by armed men while travelling back to his diocese, suffering serious physical injuries.
As the local Church calls for the full circumstances of the crime to be clarified, ACN joins the Diocese of El Obeid in praying for the eternal rest of the priest and the other victims of the attack.
