Over 20 killed in South Sudan on the eve of Pope Francis' visit
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Juba: A cattle raid in South Sudan led to the death of at least 21 people on the eve of a visit by Pope Francis.
On Thursday, 21 civilians were killed by armed herders in a reprisal attack on a rival cattle camp in Kajo-Keji County of Central Equatoria. The county commissioner's office issued a statement the official condemns in the strongest terms possible the attack on the cattle camp and the massacre of innocent civilians in the barbaric act of revenge.
The Catholic leader is scheduled to arrive on Friday for a three-day "pilgrimage of peace", a programme to encourage peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness in the country. He will be accompanied by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Rev Iain Greenshields.
Archbishop Welby said he was "horrified" by the incident and tweeted that it is a story too often heard across South Sudan. "I again appeal for a different way: for South Sudan to come together for a just peace."
The predominantly Christian country hasn't recovered from civil war and chronic armed violence. In 2011, South Sudan achieved independence from Sudan which is a Muslim-majority nation. However, the country soon fell into a civil war that killed 380,000 people. The war formally ended in 2018 but violence is still kept alive by armed local militias and rival ethnic groups.
Over 60% of the country's population is Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian, and the war is fought along ethnic lines. In recent months, thousands of civilians sought protection on UN bases.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) last week expressed concerns over signs that armed factions are again preparing to fight again in Upper Nile and issued a statement saying: "With the historic visit of His Holiness Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland to South Sudan expected to take place this week, UNMISS appeals to national and community leaders to exercise restraint and commit to peace and dialogue," reported AFP.
Ahead of the visit, Rev Greenshields said: "We pray that this visit will be a catalyst for the leaders of South Sudan to focus on what unites them and not what divides them for they are all loved equally in the eyes of the Lord."