The police in Nimule, Magwi County of Eastern Equatoria state on Sunday arrested six pastors for what they described as instigating insecurity in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan’s (ECSS) Rei Church.

Nimule Police Inspector Major David Kasmiro told Radio Tamazuj that the clergy of the Rei Church of Nimule Diocese have been embroiled in internal wranglings for a long time.

He said the six pastors who had gone to the church allegedly to attack Rev. Daniel Mabok are expected to undergo trial.

"There was a problem yesterday (Sunday) about the pastors of ECSS. They had issues, this issue has taken two years of pastors having misunderstandings among themselves. Yesterday I was called and told there is an issue in Rei Church. Some policemen went and we arrested them. We arrested about six pastors," said Maj. Kasmiro.

He called on the church leadership to resolve the conflict and condemned the act of violence in religious establishments.

"This is not a good practice for South Sudanese. We have arrested them yesterday because they wanted to cause insecurity. We have arrested them and we will open their cases. When it happened, believers had to run out of the church, it was like a protest," Maj. Kasmiro said. 

Nimule Town Clerk, Max Yousif Khalafala who confirmed the incident, said the conflict between pastors at the Rei church has been recurrent for a long time now but needs to be addressed. 

“This issue is over the church, administration of the church. I think it has taken a long time. You cannot retain this thing like this. Every time they will be cooled and they will rise again, no it is not good like that. Let people solve the problem from the roots, don’t politicize this," he urged. 

Rev. Oryem Solomon, the chairperson for the Inter-Church Council in Eastern Equatoria State is calling for investigations into the matter. He urged the two bishops of Nimule Diocese to meet, dialogue, and resolve their differences amicably for the sake of the Christians. 

"We need the two Bishops to be put together and a tribune needs to be formed to investigate the matter of what is happening within that diocese. After the investigations, they have to dialogue because the Christians need their services. If they are still having those differences, it is not affecting them but it is affecting the Christians," Rev. Solomon stressed. 

Authorities of ECSS in the Nimule Diocese could not be immediately reached for comments.