South Sudan Catholics express ‘frustration and shock’ over disappearance of priest and driver

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Catholic leaders in South Sudan are making increasingly desperate appeals, saying they are “frustrated and shocked” by the recent disappearance of a priest and his driver.

Father Luke Yugue and his driver, Michael Gbeko, were reported missing on April 27.

In the comments from May 5 to NodeSudan Catholic Bishops Conference pastoral and social communications coordinator Father John Gbemboyo said Yugue left his parish in Nagero, South Sudan, for another parish in Sudan state. Western Equatoria where he also visits regularly.

“It was a journey that could have taken about 2.5 hours to 3 hours with the motorbike they were traveling on,” Gbemboyo explained. Node.

“The priest knew they were on their way. He waited until evening and they never came. At the moment, no one knows where they are,” he added.

Gbemboyo said it is believed the priest and his driver may have been kidnapped, and that news of their disappearance had a debilitating effect on local Christians, laity and clergy.

“The situation this has caused is one of shock and frustration on the part of clergy and Christians. We are simply shocked by this information and the communities are not satisfied,” he said.

Assuming it was a kidnapping, this would be the first time a priest has been kidnapped in South Sudan.

“We have never heard of this kind of threat or attack against a priest or disappearance of a priest. So, we are desperate, we are only counting on the good will of God to help us see Father again. A lot of effort has been made by the authorities in the region, and there is no trace of where they can be found,” Gbemboyo said.

The shock and frustration occurring in the region is a function of the humanity of the South Sudanese people, according to the priest, who said South Sudanese generally value the lives of others, especially those of priests who work to improve the prospects for peace. and Yugue “has been at the forefront of that.”

Gbemboyo said it is suspected that former rebels who have not been integrated into the country’s armed forces may be responsible for the priest’s kidnapping. He said the Church was working in collaboration with administrative authorities “on how to find the Father.”

Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura Yamb, South Sudan, declared four days of prayer asking for God’s mercy to find the priest.

“I here call on each of you, wherever you are, especially in our parishes and institutions, to hold organized prayer for four good days starting May 2, 2024, for Fr. Yugue and Mr. Gbeko “Kussala said in a message on Thursday, May 2.

He called on Christians “to pray the directed prayer for the diocesan Year of Faith, to do an hour of adoration each day alone or in groups, and finally to pray the Holy Rosary daily and to ask for the maternal protection of Mary , Mother of relief for our two brothers and many others.

Gbemboyo said Node that the four days of prayer were intended to ensure that Christians understood the seriousness of the situation, and insisted that they should go beyond the four days and continue to pray until Yugue and his driver are found.

In an April 29 statement addressed to the country’s president, Salva Kiir, Kussala called for state intervention to rescue the priest and his driver as well as anyone who may have been detained with them.

“As a Church, we appeal to Your Excellency to help us bring Fr. Luka and those with him are alive at home,” he wrote.

In a May 2 statement, Kussala said the lives of all South Sudanese were in God’s hands as he reflected on the country’s ongoing conflict.

He noted that the country which gained independence in 2011 “has suffered a lot and this should stop”, and urged all South Sudanese to “work towards lasting peace”.

“For the past ten years, South Sudan has been in conflict, and all that remains are the tears and sorrow of innocent people,” the cleric said.

Stressing the need to “invest in peace,” Kussala said no one has ever won a war in South Sudan.

“It is our duty to work for peace. Human dignity is given by God and no violence can annihilate people’s aspiration for human dignity; peace is still possible; peace is the way,” he said Node.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, but political tensions between the country’s president, Salva Kiir, and his vice president, Riek Machar, ultimately led to the vice president’s ouster.

Soldiers from the Dinka ethnic group, aligned with Kiir, clashed with those from the Nuer ethnic group, who supported Machar.

Violence quickly spread, with armed groups targeting civilians along ethnic lines, committing rape, destroying property and recruiting child soldiers. Despite several rounds of negotiations and international pressure, the war persists. In August 2015, Kiir and Machar signed a peace agreement, but violence continued. Ceasefires were negotiated and violated, displacing tens of thousands of people.

Gbemboyo said Node that since then there has been some “relative calm” in South Sudan.

“There is no large-scale fighting, but we still have inter-communal and inter-tribal conflicts that are allegedly sponsored by politicians,” he said. Node.