“Maybe a decent burial can be done later,” the Vicar General of Torit Diocese told ACI Africa in his recollection of the visit to Loa Parish that the Local Ordinary, Bishop Emmanuel Bernardino Lowi Napeta, had commissioned.
In his April 3 statement, Bishop Napeta expressed “deep concern” over what he described as “the recent acts of killing, threats and disrespect committed against our Church personnel, sacred premises, and the Parish community of Our Lady of Assumption.”
The March 26 attack on Loa Parish, he revealed, “was committed by members of the South Sudan Peoples' Defense Forces (SSPDF) Unit, stationed at the junction of Loa Parish, also called Okodu Maria.”
According to the South Sudanese Catholic Bishop, SSPDF personnel stormed the grounds of Loa Parish at around 5 p.m. and opened fire that resulted in the death of Michael and the injury of another civilian.
“In the process, the soldiers also shot and hit the window and the walls of the Priests' house,” Bishop Napeta said, and added in reference to the late Michael, “In an attempt to conceal their action, the soldiers carried away and hid the body and covered the blood on the ground with soil in order to remove any forensic evidence.”
He also lamented the intimidation, threats, and questioning that the church personnel, working staff, and residents of the area were subjected to during the attack, adding that the March 26 incident did not only disrupt activities at Loa Parish, but also instilled fear and anxiety among the population.
The unauthorized intrusion of the SSPDF into the church premises constituted “a grave violation of its sanctity, neutrality, security, and the rights of our personnel,” the 51-year-old Catholic Church leader who was Consecrated Bishop of Torit in January 2023 said in his April 3 statement.
In an interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Santino Louinoi, one of the two Priests of Torit Diocese, who accompanied the Vicar General to Loa Parish said that the church premises “has been deserted since 27 March 2025 after the incident.”
“The Parish Priest and the Deacon who were there have currently taken refuge in Nimule Parish,” Fr. Santino said during the April 5 interview, and added, “We found the remains of the young who was shot on 26 March 2025 and we buried him in a temporary shallow (grave) at the parish cemetery ... we are waiting for the Bishop for the next course of action."
On his part, the Vicar General of Torit Diocese told ACI Africa that although the Parish Priest of Loa, Fr. John Wanjaras and Deacon Joseph Anyidi have sought refuge at St. Francis of Asisi Nimule Parish and that the Parish was deserted, “everything was intact, and we were grateful because everything in the Church was okay.”
