Frederick Nzwili

As an uneasy calm returned to the Congolese city of Goma, following a unilateral ceasefire declared by the rebels, people began burying the dead, and agencies rushed aid to thousands of displaced civilians, now camping in churches and schools.

Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba, South Sudan, called for restraint and compassion, as the alleged killings of South Sudanese refugees in the war-torn Sudan sparked retaliatory attacks across the country.

Amid what a Catholic charity called “unimaginable” suffering of civilians trapped in civil war brutality in Sudan, the United States declared that one of the fighting factions is committing genocide in the country and slapped sanctions on its leader.

Sudanese Catholic Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali of El Obeid Dec. 2 described narrowly escaping execution in his country, where he has remained with the faithful amid a deadly war between the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Mozambique’s bishops designated Nov. 24 as a National Day of Prayer for peace and reconciliation following the recent deaths and injuries related to the country’s election crisis.