Angry mob on Saturday set a blaze a church and beat up congregants in Turalei payam of Twic County.
The Seventh-day church members said an angry mob comprising of youths in Turalei Payam of Twic County, Warrap State, set the Adventist church on fire and beat the congregation.
The incident occurred while the members of the Adventist church were conducting Sabbath prayers.
Speaking to the media William Wol, the spokesperson of the Adventist churches in the greater Bhar el Ghazal region, said that the violence was incited by chiefs who do not want the church on their land.
He added that due to such hatred, the youth stormed the church on Saturday and beat those who were praying and burnt the church to ashes.
“Some chiefs in Turalei do not want the church, and on Saturday they stormed the church where over fifty people were praying and burnt down the church completely; it is really bad.” Wol said
“Our members, 11 of them, are badly injured and are in hospital,” he added.
He added that most of the youth came with sticks and a few with guns to create fear and destroy the church.
“They came with guns and sticks; one person shot the speaker, they were playing songs, destroyed it, and they burnt down the church,” he said.
Wol appealed to the national and state governments to protect the religious rights of the people.
“We need our government to protect our religious rights; people cannot just be beaten because they are from the Adventist church,” he said.
He expressed that many people who have prayed at their shrine in the area were threatened by the presence of the Adventist church.
“One chief who incited the violence was complaining that due to present to the church, many people no longer do sacrifice at the shrine,” he said.
John Mabior Marup, the commissioner of Twic County, told the media that the police had rescued the members of the Adventist church.
“Some of the believers were helped by the police; the incident will be solved,” John said.
He called on the public to remain calm.
On June 13, the Warawar Seventh-day Church was burned to ashes by an unidentified man who later fled to the nearby bush.
On 29 June, a church pastor and an elder were gunned down by unknown armed assailants in Tonj North County, resulting in the death of an elder who succumbed to gunshots.
