The bishop of
the Catholic Diocese of Torit in Eastern Equatoria State, Bishop Emmanuel
Bernardino Lowi, has strongly condemned the practice of revenge killings in the
greater Kapoeta counties.
On December
5, 2024, suspected cattle keepers from Kapoeta North killed a 45-year-old woman
in Napak Payam while they were mowing grass, sparking the recent wave of
violence.
Since then,
five people, including a 12-year-old child from Kapoeta North County, have
died, with two additional individuals injured in Kimatong Payam.
During a
Community Connect show on Singaita FM last week, youth representatives
expressed frustration over the perceived silence of both the government and
church leadership regarding the ongoing revenge killings in Greater Kapoeta.
In response,
Bishop Bernardino emphasized the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation
over retaliation, highlighting the devastating impact of cattle raids and
revenge killings that have led to numerous fatalities in the region.
However, he
disclosed that his office is actively working to promote awareness initiatives
that value the dignity of human life.
To tackle the
ongoing violence, he mentioned that a team from Torit is currently in Kapoeta
for a two-day conference focused on addressing the challenges faced by the
local parishes.
Speaking at
the opening of the two-day consultation conference, Governor Louis Lobong lamented
that cattle raiding, revenge, and counter-revenge killing are derailing
development in Eastern Denary.
Lobong said
he has dispatched a team to stop the revenge and counter-revenge killing
between the Buya and Toposa while appealing to church leadership to join hands.
"I have
dispatched a team this morning, including the minister of local government and
the commissioners, to stop these kinds of things, and it is a joint
effort," he said.
"We all
need to take action. The parish priest in Camp 15 needs to move and educate
people in the cattle camp and stop this kind of raiding cattle and killing
themselves and vice versa.”