Kapoeta

The town of Kapoeta lies along the main road that connects the border of Kenya with Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan. After Torit it is the largest and most developed community of the diocese. The UN’s World Food Program has a base there, as does the Carter Center. The diocese runs one of the newest and best equipped hospitals in Eastern Equatoria State there, but without the presence of a doctor. They cannot compete with the salaries offered by other NGO’s for the few doctors willing to work in Southern Sudan, and so have to make do with trained health officers and nurses. Kapoeta is inhabited mostly by members of the Toposa tribe, nomadic cattle herders who preserve an ancient and almost aboriginal way of life. Although I’ve passed through the crossroads on my way to and from Torit several times, last week was the first chance I had to really visit the town.

Members of the local Toposa tribe (above, and below with Monsignor Tofani)

Like Torit, Kapoeta was a site of a great deal of violence during the civil war, passing back and forth from Khartoum to the SPLA. The scars of the war remain visible in the community in the form of abandoned tanks, artillery and other military apparatus and damaged buildings, particularly those of the church.

Abandoned military vehicles in the center of town (above and below)

The roof of community center of the parish in Kapoeta has a gaping hole through which a bomb was dropped, and other gashes through which bullets and missiles were fired.

The parish community center (above) with punctured roof (below)

The deepest and saddest physical scars, however, are found in the ruins of the parish church. It was partially demolished to build a mosque for the northern military forces, it’s walls were defaced with scrawlings, a caricature of the commander was drawn in one of the spaces of the high back altar where the image of a saint should have been, and the sanctuary itself was used as a kitchen and a bakery. According to local oral history, the demolition of the church only ceased when one of the northern soldiers fell to his death from the roof. The other buildings surrounding the church were completely destroyed.

The damaged parish church (above) and desecrated sanctuary (below)

The greatest suffering and greatest heroism, though, was experienced by the inhabitants who were often caught in the clash between the opposing military forces. Among these the catechists shine most brightly. We had the chance to interview one of them, Pio, now in his 80s, dressed in tattered clothes and worn out shoes. He was arrested, beaten and threatened with death on several occasions in the course of his work of passing through enemy lines to encourage the local Christians. He is pictured below beside a stature of the Blessed Virgin Mary which, like the church, was desecrated by the northern forces by being decapitated and shot through the heart.