Sudan has 3 Salesian presences which are thirty years and more, old. They are: 1) St. Joseph Vocational Training Centre situated in the industrial area of Khartoum and has over 500 students. 2) St. Joseph Parish situated about 27 kilometers south of Khartoum having over 6,000 faithful. 3) Don Bosco Vocational Training Centre in El Obeid about 500 kilometers away from Khartoum having more than 400 students.
On 15 April, Saturday, a working day for the Vocational Training Centre, to the amazement of everyone, shootings and heavy gunfire started to be heard in Khartoum. St. Joseph VTC is about five kilometers away from Khartoum International airport, about four kilometers away from the presidential palace and about three kilometers away from one of the bases of the Rapid Support Force – a paramilitary force. The students and staff were immediately sent home though some managed to go home only the next day.
The conflict is between the (SAF) Sudan Armed Force led by the current president Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and (RSF) Rapid Support Force, a paramilitary force led by commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, both of whom were allies until recently. Both of them worked together to oust Sudanese ex-president Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and played an important role in the military coup in 2021. Tensions arose during the negotiations to integrate the RSF into the country’s military as part of the plans to restore civilian rule. The dilemma was who would be subordinate to whom under the new hierarchy. Thus started a struggle of dominance that has matured into a full-scale war between the two sides. It is already twelve days since this fighting started. Where and when this fighting will end is very unclear. Both groups are well-armed and have experienced fighters.
As a result of the twelve days of fighting, many areas of Khartoum have no electricity and water. Shops and markets are closed and streets are abandoned. The suffering Sudanese people pray that good sense may prevail on the two warring sides so that the long-awaited aspiration of theirs for a lasting peace and security may prompt the leaders of the warring sides to sit together and negotiate for an end to their hostilities and pave a path for lasting peace in the country.
St. Joseph Vocational Training Centre being too near the conflict area suffers much more than the other two Salesian communities. The confreres of this Salesian presence have stayed on in the institute despite sounds of large-scale shootings and explosions. If and when the situation becomes life-threatening, the confreres of this presence plan to move to one of the other Salesian communities in the Sudan.”
