Following a clash between worshippers and residents, Central Equatoria State (CES) has suspended land allotment activities in the disputed area around St. Stephen Church, Munuki.
Dispute over the land in question started last month when CES started demolishing structures at the surrounding of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS), asserting that the land belongs to residents.
The state government then instructed the Department of Survey to proceed with road construction and land allotment to residents.
However, the directive was met with resistance from church leaders who claimed ownership of the land, accused the state government of grabbing it, an allegation CES has denied.
Tensions over the land reignited on Thursday when Archbishop Most Rev. Justin Badi Arama, Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, visited the area to launch a three-day conference on addressing the ongoing land dispute.
While the conference began peacefully, it turned violent when residents allegedly threw stones at the churchgoers attending the conference.
According to Daniel Kote, an eyewitness, told this publication that the violence erupted when some church members dismantled a fence on one of the plots allotted to a resident before the conference began.
Kote stated that this action angered residents, who then began throwing stones at the churchgoers. The churchgoers retaliated, leading to a violent confrontation that was eventually quelled by police.
In response to the violence, Central Equatoria State government suspended all land allotment activities in the area until the dispute is resolved.
David Morbe Aquilino, Central Equatoria State Minister of Housing, Land, and Public Utilities, urged both the church and residents to remain calm and prioritize dialogue.
He said the state government remains committed to resolving the misunderstanding between the church and the residents.
The Minister called on church leaders to forgive the residents who engaged in violence, adding, the Ministry was disappointed to see Primate Badi of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan sitting on the ground at the disputed land.
Mr. Morbe further called on residents to cease all land allotment activities until the state government addresses the misunderstanding.
The Minister clarified that the Ministry was not involved in the dispute, nor did it send any security forces to the disputed land.
Meanwhile, Lupai Satimon, Central Equatoria State Minister of Cabinet Affairs, announced the suspension of all activities on the disputed land until the state governor, who is on peace in Morobo County, returns.
“What I want to say here is that, as a state, we are asking all the people who are involved there to stop land allotment,” he added.
“Christians can still come there to pray, but all the land allotment activities must stop. Let us remain calm, and it will be resolved when the Governor comes back from the peace mission,” he added.
He clarified that those who disrupted the prayers, leading to the violence, were not sent by the state.
“It is regrettable to see someone of high stature like the Bishop sitting down on the ground in a sorrowful mood. We say sorry and apologize to the Primate,” he said.
He refuted online accusations that CES intends to seize church land, stressing that the state is tasked with legally distributing land to South Sudanese citizens.
