Jonglei State ‘expels’ archbishops to quell tension
The government of Jonglei State has ordered the ECSS Jonglei Internal Province Archbishop Moses Anur Ayom and the defrocked Archbishop Akurdid Ngong Akurdid to leave Bor and return to Juba.
The bishops who accompanied Anur were also asked to leave Bora as well, to reduce tensions between the congregations.
The acting governor of Jonglei State, Tuong Majok Deng, also ordered the closure of the four churches of Leudiet, Karak, Negil, and Langbaar B until further notice. He said other churches found to be connected with the shooting that targeted bishops would be closed too.
A 72-hour curfew has also been imposed to crack down on social gatherings and for other churches connected to the conflict to be closed.
“The two bishops (Akurdid Ngong Akurdid and Moses Anur Ayom) and his (Anur’s) accompanying team, comprised of Bishop Zecharia Manyok Biar and Bishop Thuch Agoth to leave Bor for Juba immediately,” Tuong said.
“Curfew (should) be executed within 72 hours to crack down on social gatherings, and the rest of the ECSS churches in Bor Town that might have indirect or direct connections with conflicts occurring in the churches must be closed by the state security.”
The acting governor said the order was made to restore calm in the state capital, Bor, and lead to a lasting solution to the problem within the ECSS church. He added that the ECSS bishops had defied the orders of the state government by not accepting to leave since January 20 and subsequently on January 21, 2022.
Attack on bishops
The bishops’ residence at Langbaar B, Bor Town, was attacked on Saturday morning by armed youths, leaving two men and one woman injured.
The Police Commissioner in Jonglei State, Maj. Gen. Joseph Mayen Akoon, said there were bishops who accompanied the newly enthroned Archbishop of Jonglei Internal Province, Moses Anur Ayom, as he came to Bor to assume his duties as the Archbishop of the province.
“The Archbishop came with other bishops so that he could assume his duties in Bor. This is why the youth who supported the former Archbishop Reuben Akurdid mobilised themselves and attacked the bishops’ residence,” he explained.
Mayen said the police had launched an investigation into the incident as the suspects had been identified, and they were being pursued. He said the state government was working on ways of solving this church dispute amicably.
“We have registered some names of the people who are accused, and we are currently pursuing them, for further investigation,” the police commissioner said.
He said the bishops were fine, save for one of them got an injury from a stone that bounced off when a bullet was fired.
The Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Justine Badi Arama, yesterday convened a press conference where he condemned the attack, referring to it as a bad intention towards the church by some politicians involved in church affairs.
“It is sad to learn that some senior politicians from Jonglei are misleading innocent citizens to commit such evil acts against the church. We appeal to all Christians in Jonglei to refrain from violence, and we will continue to pray for the safety of bishops, clergy, and other ECSS workers as they carry on with their pastoral activities,” said the Primate, Justine Badi Arama.
He said the attack was the third of its kind to happen in Bor and called on the politicians to stop involvement in church activities. Badi called for the intervention of Jonglei State authorities by allowing the ECSS bishop to work within the state as the only solution to the stalemate.
The spokesperson of the defrocked Archbishop of Jonglei Internal Province, Reuben Akurdid, Philip Maluak, admitted that the attack was carried out by youth from Makuach diocese who did not want the ECSS bishops to stay in their territory.
“The case is not between Akudid and ECSS, it is between Makuach diocese and ECSS. The bishops, who include Moses Anur, Gabriel Thuch Agoth, and Zecharia Manyok, came to Bor and wanted to come and enthrone another bishop of Makuach,” Maluak explained.
“The youth wanted them to leave yesterday, but they refused. They were ordered by the government of Jonglei State to go back to Juba, but they refused. This is why the youth decided to take action without waiting for the promised dialogue by the state government.”
Court ruling
In August 2021, High Court Judge Lawrence Jaja passed judgment in the case of Reuben Akurdid and the ECSS under Primate Justin Badi Arama.
The ruling concluded that the church should sit down and solve the case through the ECSS tribunal court. However, Akurdid was dissatisfied with the ruling and appealed. He, therefore, proceeded to Jonglei State, where he declared himself the Archbishop until the case is resolved.
He united with the Malek Diocese under Bishop Peter Joh Mayom and said the ECSS bishops should not visit Bor Town. Bor’s community elders later approached the primate, asking him to forgive Reuben Akurdid, but the primate asked for an apology, which Akurdid refused to give. The Bor community elders later declared that Akurdid would remain their archbishop, adding that the office of the primate should forgive Akurdid according to God’s doctrine.
