The Episcopal Church of South Sudan’s (ECSS) Diocese of Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal State on Thursday renewed calls for the newly appointed Governor Emmanuel Primo Okello to ensure justice for their pastors who were arbitrarily arrested and tortured in September this year by the elements of the SPLA-IO forces in Jur River County.
In September, Reverend Arkangelo Unango, the Archdeacon of Kuajiena Archdeaconry, said 17 of their evangelical pastors were arrested and tortured by the SPLA-IO forces in Wath-Lelo Payam in Jur River County and that till now no measures have been taken against the perpetrators.
Addressing an inter-religious peace engagement in Wau Town on Thursday, Reverend Andrew Apinyi of the Diocese of Wau urged Governor Okello to look into the matter and bring those responsible to book.
“To our new governor, some of our pastors were tortured and we know those who tortured them, we know them by names and we know them by titles, one day there will be stability, there will be peace and wherever they are, they will come back. There is a saying that ‘Justice delayed, is a justice denied’ and it is not true,” Apinyi told the new governor. “What I believe is that even if you stay there for 10 to 20 years, you will come back and when you come back, we are keeping the record. We will make sure that we follow the right procedures. Those who tortured our pastors and members will be brought to the book. Our government should ensure people are safe.”
“I want to urge all of us to maintain peace and social coexistence wherever you are,” he added.
For his part, the head of the UNMISS field office in the state, Sam Mamuhure, asked the church to pray for peace and the safety of the people.
“Justice delayed is justice denied and everyone needs to echo the above saying, but I also would like to ask you to pray for those people,” he stated. “We need to work together to engage in dialogue to address some of the issues that might be incompatible and it is coexistence that will bring us together.”
According to the church, 17 pastors of their pastors were tortured while on a preaching mission in Wath-Lelo and other nearby areas by the commander of the SPLA-IO forces in the area.