(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid to innocent civilians in Sudan caught between conflict between state military and paramilitary forces.
Addressing pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square in English, the pope expressed his concern with the ongoing conflict, especially those suffering in el-Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan state.
“In expressing my spiritual closeness to all the people of the nation, I renew my appeal to those in authority to guarantee humanitarian corridors for the civilian population,” he said after praying the Angelus prayer Aug. 9.
Urging the international community to aid in “bringing about an immediate ceasefire,” the pope prayed that “the Lord may sustain those who are suffering, convert the hearts of those who sow violence, and grant the long-awaited peace.”
UN alarm over Sudan
Pope Leo’s concern for el-Obeid came as the United Nations recently warned that the city is in danger of becoming the site of mass atrocities. In a June 2026 statement, the U.N. Security Council expressed its “alarm” over reinforcements established around el-Obeid by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.
Warning of “the imminent risk of mass atrocities,” the U.N. Security Council “demanded the RSF immediately halt its assault on El Obeid.”
“The members of the Security Council expressed deep concern over continued violence across Sudan, including reports of escalating violence in the Kordofan states, which risks further exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation,” it said, noting RSF drone strikes and calling for investigations into alleged abuses and violations.
Women, girls at risk
U.N. Women, the secretariat of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, also condemned the attacks on women and girls who face daily attacks.
“In El Obeid, Sudan, drone attacks during the day and sexual violence at night have left no safe window for women and girls to collect water,” said Anna Mutavati, U.N. Women’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, during a briefing with journalists in Geneva reported July 24.
According to Mutavati, many women and girls have been “harassed, raped and subjected to other forms of sexual violence” while trying to obtain drinking water.
The U.N. Human Rights Office also said that drone strikes in Sudan have killed 880 civilians in the first four months of 2026, prompting its chief, Volker Turk, to declare that the conflict was “on the cusp of entering yet another new, even deadlier phase.”
Children killed in war
After the Angelus, Pope Leo turned his attention to the war between Russia and Ukraine and lamented the killing of innocent people, particularly children in both countries.
“These incidents are occurring one after another, indeed they are multiplying, resulting in ever-increasing numbers of civilian victims, including children,” the pope said. “My thoughts are with the victims’ families, the wounded and all those who are suffering due to the ongoing conflict.”
According to Reuters, one child was killed and two injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a playground in Russia’s Belgorod region Aug. 2. The following day, seven people, including three children, were killed when a Ukrainian drone struck near a beach resort in Gelendzhik, Russia.
Russia has also attacked civilian areas, including a residential building in Radushne, located in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region July 30, leaving dead eight people, including several children, with dozens of others wounded in the aftermath.
A Russian drone strike in the northeast Ukrainian city of Sumy Aug. 4 killed three people, including two children, CBS News reported.
UNICEF: ‘Children have the right to be safe’
The deaths of children in both countries prompted a statement from UNICEF denouncing the targeting of civilian areas.
“A playground. A?beach. A family home. Children have the right to be safe in the places where they live and play, wherever they are,” UNICEF said Aug. 4.
“UNICEF again calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law — including the protection of children and civilian infrastructure. Attacks that kill and injure children must stop,” the statement read.
Pope Leo: ‘War only begets more war’
Pope Leo renewed his appeal for “humanitarian law to be respected” and called on both Russia and Ukraine to “cease attacks on civilian targets.”
“War only begets more war and causes immense suffering,” the pope said. “It is time to put an end to this vicious cycle of violence and make room for diplomacy and dialogue, so as to open the way to peace.”
Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.
