The Paschal Triduum, the summit of Christian life, unfolded in painful solitude for many communities in South Sudan this year. In Western Bahr el Ghazal state, a resurgence of violent clashes forced the army to close major roads, isolating entire populations and making the celebration of public liturgies impossible. This security blockade, coupled with relentless weather, marks another setback for the world's youngest nation, already weakened by chronic instability.
At the heart of this crisis, Father Federico Gandolfi, a missionary of the Friars Minor who has been in the country for eleven years, testifies to an alarming situation. Based in Ngodakala, about an hour's drive from Wau, the religious and his confreres had just inaugurated a mission to the Balanda, an ethnic group of hunters and farmers. For these faithful, whose homes are huts scattered in the bush, the Easter Mass often represents the only spiritual gathering of the year. "We are isolated," confides the missionary, noting that the mission is currently surviving only thanks to the presence of a well and some food reserves.
This hindrance to celebrations is not solely due to military logistics. The country is going through a period of extreme climatic turbulence. Storms of rare intensity are causing massive floods, destroying precarious homes in Juba as well as in remote villages. These rains, which could last until November, structurally complicate access to churches, with some faithful normally having to walk four hours to reach their parish.
The overall security context revives fears of a new civil war, recalling the dark hours of the 2013-2018 conflict. Beyond the tensions in Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria state has recently been the scene of massacres. Unidentified armed men murdered dozens of people there, mainly miners working in a new gold deposit. Among the victims were parishioners of Father Gandolfi. This mining site, which attracted 10,000 people in one year, is now at the center of military and political covetousness, exacerbating local violence. Just last week, eight civilians lost their lives in ambushes on the main road leading to Wau.
To this physical violence is added profound economic distress. The freezing of development funds by international bodies and the withdrawal of several non-governmental organizations weigh heavily on the daily lives of the poorest. Father Gandolfi points out that food prices have soared by 40%, while access to basic medicines has become an unaffordable luxury. This extreme precariousness inevitably fuels discontent and crime.
Despite this bleak picture, the Church bears witness to an unwavering fervor. While evangelization must still contend with the persistence of ancient traditional rites, the faith of the local populations is characterized by a disarming simplicity and certainty. For these communities, God is not a philosophical abstraction but a living presence in adversity.
The Franciscan missionary sees in this resilience a sign of supernatural hope. Despite the absence of communal liturgical celebrations this year, he assures that the Risen Christ remains present through mutual charity and the smiles that the South Sudanese continue to exchange despite the ordeal. It is in this daily witness of faith that the Church, though wounded and isolated, continues to carry the light of Easter in the heart of distress.