Eleven Hospitalised After Mob Burns Adventist Church in Warrap

(TURALEI) – A violent mob attack during a Seventh day Adventist (SDA) Church service in Turalei Payam, Warrap State, has left at least eleven worshippers hospitalised and the church building destroyed. The incident took place on Saturday in Twic County.

According to Pastor William Wol Adewun Paduol, Director of Information and Communication for the Greater Bahr el Ghazal Field of the SDA Church, the worshippers were attacked while holding a service under a tree. He said the attackers, reportedly mobilised by a local chief, accused the church of offending local gods and interfering with traditional shrine practices.

During the attack, the mob is said to have beaten congregants, destroyed chairs and sound equipment and set fire to members’ personal belongings, including shoes and mobile phones. Pastor Wol also reported that some of the attackers later broke into the homes of church members and looted livestock, including three goats.

This is not the first time that churches in Warrap State have faced violent opposition. In recent months, there have been repeated cases of churches being attacked or set on fire by certain community members. Just a week before this latest incident, unknown gunmen ambushed and killed an SDA evangelist and wounded a pastor as they returned from a wedding ceremony in Tonj North County.

In 2022, another Adventist church was burned in Gogrial East, Warrap State. That attack was believed to be driven by religious hostility and was associated with former Interior Minister and Member of Parliament Salva Mathok Gengdit. The late MP had appeared in a widely shared video criticising the church’s activities before his death in March 2023.

So far, no official statement has been released by Warrap State authorities regarding the latest attack. Attempts to reach the State Information Minister William Wol and Twic County Commissioner John Mabior for comment were unsuccessful, as their phones went unanswered.

Pastor Wol has urged both local and national governments to take swift action to protect religious freedom as guaranteed by South Sudan’s constitution. He called on the authorities to arrest and prosecute those responsible and also appealed to human rights groups and civil society organisations to defend the right to worship freely.

“We appeal to the government and all peace loving citizens,” Pastor Wol said. “It is unfair for someone to worship freely in a shrine and then deny their neighbour the right to worship in a church.”

Ter Manyang Gatwech, Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) in Juba, also condemned the attacks. He warned that violence against religious leaders undermines peacebuilding and community reconciliation in the country.

Recent Religious Attacks in Warrap State