By Ijoo Bosco
Eastern Equatoria state religious leaders have called on citizens to embrace peace and love for one another in promoting development and diversity within the state.
Bishop Joshua Lokurudek of the Grace Gospel church and the chair person for pastor’s network evangelical churches in Eastern Equatoria state, said targeted killing has created more fear to the local population with in the state capital Torit for which he described it as a bad criminal act which will not portray good future of the state and the country at large.
Bishop Joshua Lokurudek called on the state authority and the national government to help control the soaring security situation couple with usual gunshot being heard on daily bases within the state capital.
“Everybody is now worried, you can see shops and hotels being closed as early 6 pm and all streets are empty what does this symbolize this means we are all not save within the town” stress Joshua.
Bishop however urged the government to look deeply into the suffering of the entire population in the town and the state by promoting peace and provision of security to all the community.
The religious leaders in Eastern Equatoria state on Saturday condemned the killing and shedding blood of the innocent people in the state.
On Tuesday this week, a Presbyterian elderly pastor was shot dead by unknown gunmen at his home while eating supper in the evening.
And on Thursday evening, a business man was shot and sustain injury while closing a door of his hotel at New nation hotel at 10 pm at Hai Inkas residential area and he passed on the following day at the state hospital while nursing his gun wound.
The targeted killings has since last week created fears amongst the citizens in Torit town, most of them believed, it’s a bad practice that should not be tolerated in the state.
In the press statement released by the pastors’ network evangelical churches seen by our reporter Bishop Lokurudek Charles who hailed from grace gospel church in Torit said as leaders of the church they called on the state and the national government to look into the suffering of the entire population by bringing total peace to the state population.
He said the church leaders condemned the continuing unnecessary killings and shedding of innocent blood in the state and urged the citizens to love each other and be peace makers as God fearing citizens.
“We are very concerned here, you can even see our sisterly Muslim community they cannot even nowadays pray at night and early morning as it used to be every day in Torit” Joshua added.
Meanwhile Luka Nyasia, the coordinator for pastor’s network of evangelical churches in Eastern Equatoria state expressed his unhappiness over of the issue of killing which he said is an impediment to peace as all the entire population is yearning for peace to prevail.
On his part the civil society activist in Eastern Equatoria state, Oryema Emmanuel called on the authorities to help curb the security situation before it goes out of hand so as to give peaceful environment to the locals.