During fierce battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), around 80 people have sought refuge in a church in the Al-Shajara neighborhood of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. They are now trapped under heavy gunfire, suffering from hunger and a lack of supplies.
Father Jacob Thlikadan, trapped in the Catholic “Dar Mariam” Center, is experiencing severe hunger, leading to significant weight loss due to the scarcity of food supplies. The center is sheltering dozens of women and children, protecting them from the raging battles in the streets of Khartoum, according to Reuters.
With food in short supply, the nuns have resorted to boiling tree leaves to feed the children, while the adults barely manage to survive on meager portions.
A rescue attempt by the Red Cross in December ended tragically when two people were killed and seven others injured, including three charity workers, after gunmen opened fire on the convoy, forcing it to turn back before reaching the center. Both warring factions have blamed each other for the attack.
Father Thlikadan and the nuns refused offers from the army to permanently evacuate them across the river, unwilling to abandon the families under their care.
Many residents of Khartoum fled the city when the conflict erupted in April of last year, spreading rapidly to Khartoum and the neighboring cities of Bahri and Omdurman along the Nile, before extending to other parts of the country.
“Our food situation has become extremely dire… we all feel very weak,” Thlikadan stated. Acute hunger is rampant in the regions worst hit by the conflict across Sudan, prompting warnings of famine, including in Khartoum.
Some families sought refuge at the center in June of last year, hoping for safety under its concrete roof. However, the area soon became isolated as the RSF pressed to seize the strategically important armored corps headquarters, located about two kilometers from the Catholic center, among other army bases they targeted.
The Al-Shajara neighborhood has faced intense attacks by the RSF, and wealthier residents near the area have registered with the army to be evacuated across the Nile. Many have been waiting for months.
Thlikadan remarked that nighttime evacuations by boat via the White Nile tributary are highly dangerous for the children sheltering at the center.
The Sudanese war has triggered the largest displacement crisis globally, forcing nearly 10 million people to seek shelter within and outside the country, according to the International Organization for Migration. The conflict has also wreaked unprecedented destruction on Khartoum.
Thlikadan noted that the number of people in the center fluctuates, but since March, about 30 women and 50 children, aged between two and fifteen, have been residing there.
Most of the center’s inhabitants are Christian refugees from South Sudan and Ethiopia, who have set up makeshift tents around the compound, which includes a church, an educational complex, and a residential building.
Father Thlikadan and the nuns have converted the safest rooms into sanctuaries to protect the children from crossfire. They strive to distract the children from the surrounding violence by providing space for bicycle riding in the courtyard and encouraging them to engage in video games.
However, securing food remains a significant challenge. By September, funds were running low, and obtaining supplies from local markets became nearly impossible due to the ongoing clashes.
Children typically received small portions of porridge, lentils, and beans, but these supplies have drastically dwindled.
Since February, the armored corps camp has airlifted some aid to Dar Mariam, including sugar and fuel for water extraction generators.
The army also provided a Starlink connection, enabling those in the compound to use their phones, and transported the priest and an administrative official twice to Port Sudan—a city on the Red Sea where the army and government relocated—to meet church officials and gather some funds and supplies.