Stephen Cardinal Ameyu Martin Mulla, Archbishop of Juba reading out a joint statement on behalf of the South Sudan Catholic Bishops on Saturday, 29th June 2024. (Photo Credit: Chuol Jany/CRN).

A group of Catholic bishops have commended the neutrality of South Sudan government in the Sudan conflict and urged it to take measures to ensure South Sudanese nationals are not engaged in the ongoing war.

The statement comes three months after the Sudanese army said it captured 14 South Sudanese mercenaries fighting on the side of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In March 2024, SAF said the 14 South Sudanese nationals were captured after it retook Radio Omdurman and television corporation headquarters in Khartoum.

The captured individuals were later described by the South Sudan Information Minister Michael Makuei as “fortune seekers” who should be tried according to the Sudanese law.

In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the Catholic Bishops commended the government of South Sudan for responding to the needs of the returnees.

“We thank the government of South Sudan for its open and generous response to returnees and refuges from Sudan,” Cardinal Stephen Ameyu, the Archbishop of Juba said, reading the statement on behalf of the bishops.

“We call upon it to remain neutral in Sudanese conflict, to take measures to prevent any South Sudanese from participating in the armed conflict and to continue facilitating peace negotiations where ever possible.”

The Catholic Bishops went on to condemn the killing, raping, and looting of civilians by all sides in the Sudanese conflict and called for accountability.

The religious leaders also called on the warring parties in Sudan to lay down their arms and engage in meaningful negotiations to bring peace to the suffering Sudanese people.