Leaders of the Moru Congregation of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan on Monday condemned the closure of their Nyakuron church in the capital, Juba, calling the action unlawful, unprofessional and traumatizing to worshippers.
Speaking at a news conference, Canon Oneil Yosia Daima, chairperson of the Moru Congregation, said armed security forces arrived at the Nyakuron Moru Congregation Church on Sunday, Jan. 18, in three vehicles and ordered its immediate closure without presenting written authorization.
“They claimed they were acting on orders from the Juba City mayor, but they had no official directive,” Daima said.
According to church leaders, the security personnel arrived shortly after English and Arabic services had ended, while a Moru-language service was still underway. Daima said the service was peaceful and that no violence occurred inside the church.
“Some of the officers later admitted they had been misinformed that clashes were taking place,” he said.
The sudden closure caused panic among worshippers, church officials said, with several women collapsing from shock after prayers were halted. Requests to allow the service to conclude were rejected, with officers insisting the order was to take immediate effect.
The Moru Congregation said the incident was linked to ongoing tensions with the Juba Diocese, accusing some elements within the diocese of attempting to take over Moru-owned churches by force while refusing dialogue.
Daima said the congregation reserves the right to pursue legal action, noting that disrupting a peaceful religious gathering is a criminal offense under South Sudan’s Penal Code. He urged the Juba City Council to remain neutral, saying the dispute concerns freedom of worship, assembly and church property ownership.
He also appealed to the primate and leadership of the Juba Diocese to halt what he described as violent actions and instead pursue dialogue based on biblical principles. The congregation called on city authorities to immediately reopen the Nyakuron church, saying there was no justification for its closure.
John Nathana, a member of the Moru Congregation who said he was present during the services, described the closure as deeply painful. He recalled that South Sudanese Christians faced restrictions on worship under Sudan’s former governments and had hoped such violations would end after independence.
He rejected claims of violence and accused elements within the Juba Diocese of conspiring to use security forces to intimidate worshippers and seize church property. Nathana said the congregation would pursue legal action to defend its constitutional rights to worship, assembly and association.
Another congregant, Dr. Wesley Bokati Natana, said church leaders sought clarification from the Juba City mayor on the legal basis for the closure, arguing that only a court has the constitutional authority to shut down a place of worship and that such action must be supported by written orders.
He said the mayor declined to meet them and instead referred the matter to the Central Equatoria State police commissioner, whom Natana said also lacks authority to close a church in the absence of violence. He urged state authorities to stop interfering in Moru churches and to respect the rule of law.
Repeated calls to the office of the Juba City mayor for comment were not answered.