Authorities in Maridi County of South Sudan’s Western Equatoria State say three people including a witch doctor were arrested for allegedly fighting evangelists last week.
The incident happened during the centenary celebrations of the Episcopal Church in Maridi.
Maridi County Commissioner Bodi Michael speaking to Radio Tamazuj this week narrated what happened.
“During the celebration, the evangelists who were preaching from house to house targeted the witchdoctors because they are leading people away from the word of God. So the group of evangelists moving from house to house went to a certain house of a witch doctor where they prayed together with him,” Bodi explained. “At the end, he was annoyed when he discovered that they wanted to collect his medicines and charms so that they could burn them in the church. He got angry, rushed to his house and picked up his gun, and tried to shoot them but the gun did not respond after two attempts. The people in the house picked up pangas and started chasing those preaching.”
The commissioner said three people were wounded and the culprits were arrested by the police.
The commissioner called on the people of Maridi to abandon witchcraft and embrace Christianity.
For his part, the ECS Bishop of Maridi Moses Zungo confirmed the incident but said such incidents are expected while spreading the gospel.
“It a spiritual action happens here in Maridi. We have been celebrating the centenary which is now 100 years of gospel preaching in Maridi. There are always enemies of the gospel and the evangelists were praying to free people from evil practices which are hindering the preaching of the gospel here,” said Bishop Zungo. “That is normal when the gospel is being preached even the prophets were thrown with stones when they were preaching, we consider this one as normal.”
Bishop Zungo mentioned that those wounded are receiving treatment at the church clinic in Maridi and are responding well.