Church leaders visiting Bor deported back to Juba by state authorities – statement

JUBA – The Episcopal Church of South Sudan is saying that two pastors who were visiting Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, on Saturday have been deported back to Juba after state authorities denied them entry following arrival aboard a chartered plane from Juba.

In a statement on Monday, Manyang Gabriel Kon, the communication officer for the Episcopal Church of South Sudan said Bishop Gabriel Thuch Agoth of the Diocese of Kongor and Bishop Zechariah Manyok Biar of the Diocese of Wanglei, were ordered to return back to Juba upon arrival to Bor over unknown reasons.

“Two ECSS Bishops: Rt. Rev’d Gabriel Thuch Agoth of Diocese of Kongor and Rt. Rev’d Zechariah Manyok Biar of Diocese of Wanglei Travelled to Bor on Saturday January 23, 2021 by plane and landed at about 9:00am in the morning. The purpose of their going was a pastoral visit to their congregations who are currently displaced by flood in Bor town,” the statement seen by Sudans Post reads in part.

“On arrival at the airstrip, they were immediately told by the security to return back into the aircraft that took them to Bor, citing their safety as the reason behind the decision. The two Bishops refused to go back into the aircraft, arguing that they did not understand the reason why they should go back to Juba,” the statement added.

Manyang explained in the statement that after the airplane return to Juba leaving the two men behind, the security officers forced the two bishops to return to Juba via land saying the incident is the third of its kind since December last year.

“The aircraft left without them. Later they were brought back on a vehicle to Juba,” the statement said.

“This is the third of such incident that has happened to ECSS bishops in Bor town. The first was an incident in which ECSS youths were shot at by police officers while practicing their song in the parish of Lang Bar B injuring two youths on December 20, 2020 and nothing was done to those policemen.

“The second is that the Archbishop-elect Moses Anur Ayom and Bishop Commissary of Bor Diocese Rev’d John Panchol Kon went to Bor to celebrate Christmas with the Christians. The state officials ordered them to come back to Juba on December 23, 2020 where they are still staying in what seems to be house arrest without any clear explanation from the State Government.”

The statement further wondered “why the ECSS workers are targeted as if as they are not citizens of Jonglei State. It remains unclear whether those state officials are acting individually or on behalf of the state government.”