Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The head of Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Greater Bahr El Ghazal region said their church was burned down and worshippers assaulted over the weekend in Turalei Payam of Twic County, Warrap state.
According to William Kabi, who is the regional president of the church, the incident occurred on 5th July when a group of locals stormed the church premises during worship and demanded that the prayers be stopped.
He said that when the congregants refused to comply, the situation escalated into violence.
Kabi revealed that among those assaulted were the pastor, the landlord who had provided the land for the church, and eleven other church members.
“According to the pastor on the ground, they were worshiping when the community told them that this Sabbath is not worshipped here but as Christian, they closed their minds and went and worshipped then the community came and they were beaten badly,” he explained.
The church leaders said the military had to be called in to rescue the helpless worshippers.
“The military from Turalei were called and they went and rescued them, four including the pastor and landlord who gave the place for the church were beaten badly and then the rest around 11 were wounded but they were released yesterday from the hospital,” he said.
He added that those who were injured as a result of the assault have been released from the hospital yesterday.
Kabi believes that the incident may have been triggered by growing resistance to the role the church has played in challenging traditional beliefs and practices within the community.
“Our doctrine is stricter and it is conflicting with traditional kind of believes. What I learned is that the person who mobilized this people is the leaders of one of the shrines which is there and it appear when the church is there the shrine is not performing well this is the reason they want to put it off,” he said.
Warrap State officials have not commented on the incident.
This is not the first-time members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have been harassed in Warrap State.
In 2022, an Adventist was burnt down in Gogrial East, Warrap State, an incident officials believed was motivated by religious hostility.
Days later days, late former Interior and MP Salva Mathok Gengdit was seen condemning the church activities in a viral social media footage.
According to media reports in 2017, more than 150 followers of the church were allegedly arrested and tortured by police authorities in the defunct Tonj State.
The reports quoting Pastor Wol Adewun a church leader at the time, alleged that the Adventists were forced to drink alcohol and smoke tobacco while in the police custody.
For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan Follow Africa-Press
