Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service)- At last the world has noticed the forgotten tragedy in Sudan, concentrating its attention on the drama in the western region of Darfur where, it is openly said, a genocide is being perpetrated against civilians. But there are other parts of the country where civil war has just ended and where people suffer while the world in indifferent.
One of these zones is the Nuba Mountains in central Sudan. This area is part of the Catholic diocese of El Obeid. The Bishop. Mgr Macram Max Gassis sent Fides a series of photographs demonstrating the local Church’s activity to assist the people in need. The photographs can be seen on Fides web site. They are not pictures of war, they are pictures of hope incarnated by the Church: wells being dug, schools for children, baptisms.
One of the photographs show a little girl Amani who touched the heart of Bishop Gassis who writes: “Amani means “dreams”. This is the name of my spiritual daughter in the Nuba Mountains who dreams of going to school and learning to study. Amani is innocent, uncontaminated by worldly things. She was a happy little soul until she was wounded in a bomb explosion and her right arm had to be amputated. She is one of the survivors of a bombing raid carried out by Muslim fundamentalists on 8 February 2000. That day she saw her teacher and 19 school companions killed. Amani is not angry or revengeful, she is sad and traumatised. Like Amani in Sudan, now the whole world trembles with fear and insecurity ”.
We should remember that behind the arid figures of war, military maps and softly stepping of international diplomacy, there are human beings like Amani, suffering the consequences of aseptic decisions taken without ever seeing the victims of these terrible conflicts. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 6/7/2004 righe 28 parole 352)
