Detonated grenade left 17 people wounded in South Sudan’s Anglican Church

[Juba, South Sudan, TCT] Detonated grenade left at least 17 people wounded in South Sudan’s Anglican Church, former Unity State during a Sunday mass last week, Rt. Rev. Hilary Garang of internal province of Upper Nile, has said.

Rt. Rev. Garang told TCT by phone in Juba on Friday that the incident occurred on June 3 as a handful of faithful converged in one of the Episcopal Church under internal province of former Upper Nile.

“It was on June, 3, 2018, when the believers converged for prayers at an Anglican Church in Bentiu; an identified inhabitant of the area walked inside the church and detonated the hand-grenade in the midst of the congregation,” said Garang

According to the bishop, a woman and her child were among those critically wounded, but they are currently seeking treatment at UN mission based in Bentiu
He disclosed that the suspect was later identified and arrested by the security organs in the area thanked to the government and UN peacekeeping forces.

“About 17 choir youth were injured but God has protected them, and they are in good condition now Although the incident has frightened the Christians. The suspect is under government’s custody,” he said

“We don’t know his intention. This man was living inside the UN’s protection site and he came out from the camp to do business,”, he added.

In May last month, a group of armed men killed two pastors and critically wounded another in the national capital, Juba.

Police Spokesperson, Brigadier Daniel Justin said security organs managed to contain the situation and arrested the suspects.

Since the conflict erupted in 2013 and later spread to the states of greater Upper Nile, and Unity, has witnessed similar incidents in 2014 where several people were killed in the church, mosque and hospital as the civil war enters its fifth year.

Similar incidents against church leaders and innocent civilians were also reported in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, capital, Bor, in 2014 where about seven female church workers were murdered as they sought refuge at St. Andrew’s Church, Anglican Church.