Police in Bor Town of Jonglei State said they are holding a suspect for firing gunshots into the air during a Christmas procession by a Christian group in the town’s Referendum neighbourhood on Sunday.
The shooting incident caused commotion and panic in the Jonglei capital as the Christian marchers scampered in disarray for their lives.
An eyewitness, Bol Deng, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday, “As usual, churches prepare for Christmas during this time. So, the church of Langbar, Makuac Diocese, was marching. Unfortunately, a guy who was protecting the procession beat up a motorbike rider who wanted to pass through and as a result, the rider rushed to his house, got a gun, and shot into the air, dispersing the procession.”
The state police commissioner, Joseph Mayen Akoon, confirmed the incident, saying those who triggered the fracas have been arrested.
“After that misunderstanding among those two onlookers, the crowds were forcibly dispersed because the guy who was beaten up with a stick brought a gun from his house and shot into the air. A suspect is now in our custody and investigations are ongoing,” Mayen said.
Mayen condemned the act of reckless shooting, said no one was injured and that the incident is not linked to an ongoing leadership wrangle among the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) Bishops in the Diocese of Bor.
Attempts to reach James Deng, the Bishop for Makuac Diocese, for a comment were unsuccessful as he did not answer repeated phone calls.
Philip Maluak, the information secretary of the Episcopal Church in Bor condemned the commotion and called upon the government to punish the perpetrators “because they had ulterior political motivations.”