By Yiep Joseph
Central Equatoria State (CES) has suspended land allotment activities in a disputed area of Munuki, following a clash between churchgoers and residents.
Last month, the administration of St. Stephen’s Parish Church in Munuki accused the Central Equatoria State government of allotting church land to residents.
Despite the accusation, the state government instructed the Department of Survey to proceed with road construction and land allotment to residents.
These activities were met with resistance from church leaders, who maintained that the land was legally allotted to the church.
Tensions over the land reignited on Thursday when Archbishop Most Rev. Justin Badi Arama, the Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, visited the area to launch a three-day conference addressing the ongoing land dispute.
While the conference began peacefully, it turned violent when residents allegedly threw stones at the churchgoers attending the conference.
According to Daniel Kote, an eyewitness, the violence erupted when some church members dismantled a fence on one of the plots allotted to a resident before the conference began.
Kote stated that this action angered residents, who then began throwing stones at the churchgoers. The churchgoers retaliated, leading to a violent confrontation that was eventually quelled by law enforcement.
In response to the violence, the Central Equatoria State government suspended all land allotment activities in the area until the dispute is resolved.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, David Morbe Aquilino, Central Equatoria State Minister of Housing, Land, and Public Utilities, urged both the church and residents to remain calm and prioritize dialogue.
He stated that the state government remains committed to resolving the misunderstanding between the church and the residents.
The Minister called on church leaders to forgive the residents who engaged in violence, adding that the Ministry was disappointed to see the Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan sitting on the ground at the disputed church land.
He also called on residents to cease all land allotment activities until the state government addresses the misunderstanding.
The Minister clarified that the Ministry was not involved in the dispute, nor did it send any security forces to the disputed land.
He emphasized that the land dispute in Munuki is between the church and the residents.
Lupai Satimon, Central Equatoria State Minister of Cabinet Affairs, announced the suspension of all activities on the disputed land until the state governor returns from a peace mission.
“People who want to come to pray in the church can come, but any activity like land allotment must stop,” he said.
“What I want to say here is that, as a state, we are asking all the people who are involved there to stop land allotment,” he added.
He stated that Christians can still come to church to pray, but all land allotment programs must cease.
“Christians can still come there to pray, but all the land allotment activities must stop. Let us remain calm, and it will be resolved when the Governor comes back from the peace mission,” he added.
He clarified that those who disrupted the prayers, leading to the violence, were not sent by the state, adding that the state respects the church and apologizes for any inconvenience caused.
“It is regrettable to see someone of high stature like the Bishop sitting down on the ground in a sorrowful mood. We say sorry and apologize to the Primate,” he said.
He refuted online accusations that CES intends to seize church land, adding that the state is tasked with legally distributing land to South Sudanese citizens.
“I want to assure the citizens that, as CES, we do not grab land. We just need everyone to get land in a legal manner,” he said.