NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — In the besieged Sudanese city of El-Fasher, the Rev. Daramali Abudigin is staying on, even as random bombs, stray bullets and hunger kill members of his flock.
The 44-year-old priest has kept St. Mathew, of the Anglican Church of Sudan, open to all Christians, after increased fighting has forced other pastors and priests to flee. Here, people live one day at a time, and if stray bombs and bullets do not kill them, hunger does not spare them, especially children.
In May, the priest lost five church members who were living with him after the armed men randomly shot at the church compound. The deaths nearly moved him to abandon the city. “I didn’t leave the church. In a while, I considered leaving, but I changed my mind. I am still staying with my flock. Whenever we lose a person, it makes me very sad,” said Abudigin, who lives in the city with his wife and three sons.
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, one of five states in the Darfur region, has been under a blockade from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April of last year. The group declared a blockade after local militia declared allegiance to the Sudan Armed Forces.
The fighting …