Vatican City - Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for humanitarian corridors to be opened for civilians caught up in a conflict in Sudan which has killed countless numbers of people and displaced millions.
"I continue to follow with concern the tragic situation in Sudan, especially in the city of el-Obeid," Leo wrote in a post to X on Sunday.
"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.
El-Obeid, the largest city in Sudan's southern Kordofan region, has come under intense drone attacks in recent weeks as the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues to worsen.
The United Nations is warning that the crisis in El-Obeid could soon become, or may already be, the site of Sudan's next humanitarian catastrophe. As a result, it has issued a "red alert."
Residents are describing severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies after months of siege, with regular drone strikes destroying infrastructure and sexual violence becoming increasingly common.
Comparisons are being made with the massacre in El-Fasher, found to be an act of genocide, when RSF forces captured the city in October 2025 and slaughtered countless numbers of civilians.
"I urge the international community to support efforts aimed at bringing about an immediate ceasefire," Pope Leo XIV pleaded in a separate post to X.
"Let us pray that the Lord may sustain those who are suffering, convert the hearts of those who sow violence, and grant the long awaited peace."