Amid the escalating violence currently wracking Sudan, priests and religious in violent hotspots have continued to keep church doors open and minister to people.

“I want to stay until the last minute, I do not want to leave the people here alone,” one missionary priest told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “A lot of our Catholics came [to the church]. You know, here, the Church is their hope. But we face the same problems as the rest of the people.”

At least 600 people have been killed since the conflict began on April 15, when fighting broke out between military units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support (RSF) headed by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. According to the UN, the number of displaced people inside Sudan has more than doubled this past week, now reaching more than 700,000.

ACN was told that a church in Bahri, northern Khartoum, was hit by a bomb, “but those on site managed to put out the fire after it took hold of the roof. Armed fighters also forced their way into the cathedral in Khartoum, and a chapel belonging to a religious congregation was bombed.”

One project partner told ACN: “Will the conflict end soon? It is our prayer. But neither side is ready. Internationally, people push for dialogue, but there is still shooting.”