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Document #2111958
USDOS – US Department of State (Author)
The transitional constitution, effective through February 2025, provides for separation of religion and state, prohibits religious discrimination, and provides religious groups freedom to worship and assemble, organize themselves, teach, own property, receive financial contributions, communicate, and issue publications on religious matters, and establish charitable institutions.
In August, church leaders in Central Equatoria State accused the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) of looting a church, as well as assaulting and detaining religious leaders in Yei River County. The SSPDF announced the detention of the suspected officers and started an investigation. In March, authorities released evangelical pastor Abraham Chol Maketh, head of Cush Vision International Church, after 31 months in prison. In March, SSPDF troops occupied a church in Central Equatoria State and detained its pastor for allegedly posting a video on social media in 2021 predicting the President and First Vice President would be removed from office.
A Catholic priest and four other individuals remained in prison for the 2021 attempted killing of an Italian priest nominated by the Vatican to be bishop of Rumbek. In August, according to media reports, the Episcopal Archbishop of Juba called on the government to protect clergy and churches in Bor, Jonglei State, after armed youth militia representing a rival Episcopal faction forced the closure of St. Peter Church. Senior government officials continued to call on leaders of the factions to resolve their disputes, which had been ongoing for three years. Media outlets reported on a number of attacks on clerics, including the killing of a church elder and the destruction of several religious buildings, during ethnic clashes on the border of Abyei Special Administrative Area and Warrap State. In November, ethnic clashes flared again in Warrap State resulting in more than 50 deaths. In all these cases, religious organizations sought to work in partnership with authorities to stem the violence and create dialogues and peace-building initiatives to resolve ethnic tensions, as well as inter-denominational disputes.
In February, the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland made a joint ecumenical visit to the country. The country’s religious institutions generally remained a source of stability in an otherwise unstable environment, according to religious and human rights organizations. Religious leaders stated a diverse network of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim domestic and international organizations frequently provided shelter from subnational violence throughout the country. For example, local and international Catholic and Protestant organizations provided assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing continued violence in Upper Nile and Unity States at the UN Malakal Protection of Civilians site and at the Bentiu IDP camp.
The U.S. Ambassador and other U.S. embassy officials repeatedly raised concerns with government representatives regarding a lack of consistent enforcement of the rule of law, increasing subnational violence, impunity for violent crimes, and reports of human rights abuses and their impact on religious workers. In addition, through an ongoing series of roundtables hosted by the Ambassador, the embassy promoted religious freedom through discussions and outreach with religious leaders and civil society organizations. The Ambassador and senior embassy officers regularly visited religious services of many denominations to demonstrate U.S. government support for the role faith-based organizations played in promoting peace and religious freedom in the country.
The U.S. government estimates the total population at 12.1 million (midyear 2023). The 2020 Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project report estimated Christians make up 60.5 percent of the population; followers of Indigenous (animist) religions, 32.9 percent; and Muslims, 6.2 percent. Other religious groups with small populations include the Baha’i Faith, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism. The country’s massive population displacement resulting from nearly a decade of violence – as well as a large population of pastoralists who regularly migrate within and between neighboring countries – make it difficult to accurately estimate the overall population and its religious demography.
According to the South Sudan Council of Churches and the government Bureau of Religious Affairs, the principal Christian denominations are Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Sudan Interior, Presbyterian Evangelical, and African Inland Churches. Smaller congregations of Eritrean Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are also present. Adherents of Indigenous religious traditions reside throughout the country and many practice their religions concurrently with Christianity and Islam.
The transitional constitution, extended in September 2022 and effective through February 2025, stipulates the separation of religion and state. It prohibits religious discrimination, even if the President declares a state of emergency. It states all religions are to be treated equally and that religion should not be used for divisive purposes.
The transitional constitution provides for the right of religious groups to worship or assemble freely in connection with any religion or belief, solicit and receive voluntary financial contributions, own property for religious purposes, and establish places of worship. The transitional constitution also provides religious groups the freedom to write, issue, and disseminate religious publications; communicate with individuals and communities on matters of religion at both the national and international levels; teach religion in places “suitable” for this purpose; train, appoint, elect, or designate by succession their religious leaders; and observe religious holidays.
The government requires religious groups to register with the state government where they operate. Religious groups with associated advocacy and humanitarian or development organizations must also register with the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs through the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission. Faith-based organizations are required to provide copies of their constitution, a statement of faith documenting their doctrines, beliefs, objectives, and holy books; a list of executive members; and a registration fee of 3,500 South Sudan pounds ($3). All humanitarian organizations, including faith-based ones, must pay this fee. These requirements, however, are not strictly enforced, and many faith-based groups operate without registration. International faith-based organizations are required also to provide a copy of any previous registration with another government and a letter from the international organization commissioning its activities in that country.
The transitional constitution specifies that the regulation of religious matters within each state is the executive and legislative responsibility of the state government. It establishes the responsibility of government at all levels to protect monuments and places of religious importance from destruction or desecration.
The transitional constitution allows religious groups to establish and maintain what the transitional constitution deems “appropriate” faith-based charitable or humanitarian institutions.
The transitional constitution guarantees every citizen access to education without discrimination based on religion.
The country is not a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Former Deputy Interior Minister Salva Mathok, a member of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, died abroad in March. In 2022, he had ordered local youth to burn a Seventh-day Adventist church in Gogrial East County, Warrap State. Mathok said that the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine was destroying traditional and cultural norms within the community. Following the incident, Mathok declined calls from Seventh-day Adventist leaders to apologize and instead made public statements in the press justifying his actions, calling the Seventh-day Adventist church a “house of prostitution,” and claiming the church was abducting women and girls from the community. The government took no further action during the year with regard to the incident. After Mathok’s death, his remains were received with honor by transitional government leaders at the Juba airport, and the governor of Warrap State declared three days of mourning.
In August, Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) leaders accused the SSPDF of looting a church and assaulting and detaining clergy members in Yei River County, Central Equatoria State. SSPDF officials announced the suspected officers were detained for investigation.
In March, authorities released Pastor Chol, head of the Cush International Church, an evangelical group, after he spent 31 months in prison. In 2021, police arrested Chol and two congregants for posting a video on social media predicting President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Riek Machar would be removed from office on the country’s 10th anniversary of independence. Authorities charged the men in 2022 with inciting the public to provoke organized forces against the government in violation of the penal code. Following a trial in December 2022, Chol received a 33-month prison sentence including time served, and his codefendants were released.
Following March-April 2022 fighting between armed youth groups from the rival Ngok Dinka and Twic Dinka groups in Warrap State that resulted in the destruction of churches, markets, and homes as well as the displacement of approximately 70,000 persons, President Kiir established an investigative committee to resolve the dispute and stem the violence. Progress by the committee, however, reportedly suffered from internal rivalries, competing interests, and allegations of partisanship. In November 2023, Ngok-Twic fighting flared again in Warrap State and neighboring Abyei, resulting in the deaths of more than 50 persons, including children. Senior church leaders called for peaceful mediation of the fighting and urged President Kiir to compel the parties to peace talks. As of year’s end, the dispute remained unresolved, and calls for government intervention and community reconciliation yielded little to no progress.
In June, the ECSS Primate offered to reinstate defrocked Archbishop of Jonglei Internal Province, Ruben Akurdit Ngong with status as a retired archbishop. Akurdit, defrocked over internal canonical issues, refused to accept the reinstatement, saying it did not comply with the terms of an agreement mediated by President Kiir. The President intervened following a 2022 attack on St. Peter’s Church in Bor, Jonglei State, by youth gunmen loyal to Ngong. Competing factions claiming to represent the Episcopal Church in Bor had attacked the premises three times since 2020. In August, according to media reports, the Episcopal Archbishop of Juba called on the government to protect clergy and churches in Bor. As of year’s end, government officials had not opened an investigation into the attacks or charged perpetrators of the violence. Police Commissioner Major General Elia Costa told media that police had not intervened because the competing factions were heavily armed, and police did not want to provoke further violence. Although the state government purportedly launched an investigation, it took no other action.
Leaders from all major religious groups attended ceremonial public events that typically featured opening prayers and readings by both Christian and Muslim clergy. Christian leaders with the South Sudan Council of Churches and Muslim leaders with the South Sudan Islamic Council (SSIC) participated in key implementation bodies for the peace agreement signed in 2018, such as the National Transitional Committee.
Religious leaders continued to say they generally had good access to transitional government officials and that their relationship with authorities remained broadly positive. Religious leaders also said they had freedom to criticize government policy, especially in their sermons when key political leaders attended church services. Both Christian and Islamic prayers, delivered in English and Arabic, opened most official events. Religious leaders continued to express concern the breakdown in law and order increased the risk of harm to all entities operating in the country.
Government officials included both Christians and Muslims. President Kiir, a Catholic, employed Sheikh Juma Saeed Ali, a leader of the country’s Muslim community, as a high-level advisor on religious affairs. Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi is also a Muslim.
Although not mandated, religious education was generally included in public secondary school and university curricula. Theoretically, any student could attend either a Christian or an Islamic course, and those with no religious affiliation could choose between the two courses. Because of resource constraints, however, some schools offered only one course. Christian and Muslim private religious schools set their own religious curriculum without government mandates or oversight on content. Seventh-day Adventist leaders noted the University of Juba often did not provide reasonable accommodation for Seventh-day Adventist students unable to take exams on Saturdays.
In August, unknown gunmen killed a church elder in Torit, Eastern Equatoria State, the third consecutive year a religious leader was killed in Torit. Police arrested a suspect days later, and an investigation continued as of year’s end.
Religious leaders stated a diverse network of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim domestic and international organizations frequently provided shelter from subnational violence throughout the country. For example, local and international Catholic and Protestant organizations aided IDPs fleeing continued violence in Upper Nile and Unity States at the UN Malakal Protection of Civilians site and at the Bentiu IDP camp.
The country’s religious institutions remained a crucial source of stability in an otherwise unstable country, according to religious and human rights organizations. Religious leaders stated a diverse network of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim domestic and international organizations frequently provided shelter for persons fleeing regions of violence in the country.
Following the outbreak of conflict in Sudan between rival military factions in April, Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla, Catholic Archbishop of Juba, called on the collective Christian community in South Sudan to mobilize aid for those fleeing violence in Sudan, and said he was coordinating with bishops across both countries to respond to the crisis. John Mathiang, a Catholic priest whom the Juba High Court sentenced to seven years in prison for conspiracy to murder in 2022, remained incarcerated. The Juba High Court convicted Mathiang in the 2021 attempted killing of Christian Calassare, an Italian priest chosen by the Vatican and consecrated in 2022 as bishop of the Diocese of Rumbek in Lakes State. Mathiang’s four co-conspirators remained in prison at year’s end.
Local and international Catholic and Protestant organizations aided internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing continued violence in Upper Nile and Unity States at the UN Malakal Protection of Civilians site and at the Bentiu IDP camp.
The lay Catholic organization Community of Sant’Egidio continued to engage non-signatories to the 2018 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (Agreement on the resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, ARCSS)(“Peace Agreement”) through negotiations (the “Rome Talks”) to implement the terms of the Rome Declaration signed in 2020, which Sant’Egidio facilitated. The Rome Declaration was signed between the government and nonsignatory groups to the Peace Agreement in an attempt to gain support of non-signatory groups for the agreement. In 2022, the government suspended its participation in the Rome Talks, citing military mobilization by non-signatory groups.
In February, the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland made a joint ecumenical visit to the country. During the visit Pope Francis challenged government and other leaders to address the South Sudanese people’s concerns. “We undertook this ecumenical pilgrimage of peace after hearing the plea of an entire people that, with great dignity, weeps for the violence it endures, its persistent lack of security, its poverty and the natural disasters it has experienced…The inequitable distribution of funds, secret schemes to get rich, patronage deals, lack of transparency: all these pollute the riverbed of human society,” the Pope told an audience in Juba. According to media, the ecumenical visit was well-received across sectarian lines. Following the visit, clergy and political leaders continued to refer to the ecumenical leaders’ call for peace and tolerance. Representatives of Protestant churches and the SSIC traveled to Rome for the September elevation Juba Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla to cardinal. A senior representative of the Islamic community also made remarks at the formal ceremony welcoming the cardinal home.
The U.S. Ambassador and embassy officials frequently raised concerns with government representatives regarding issues impacting religious freedom and the safety of religious groups, including the lack of consistent rule of law enforcement, increasing subnational violence, impunity for violent crimes, sexual and gender-based violence, and reports of human rights abuses and their impact on religious workers.
The Ambassador hosted roundtables of religious leaders throughout the year and raised many of the same topics discussed with government officials. The Ambassador and embassy officials discussed faith-based peace initiatives, implementation of the peace agreement signed in 2018, and religious freedom and tolerance with leaders of the SSIC, the South Sudan Council of Churches, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, the Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Catholic Church. In the lead-up to the Pope’s February visit, the Ambassador met with various religious leaders to discuss the important role of faith-based efforts to promote a peaceful end to the on-going violence in the country. During Ramadan, the Ambassador hosted an iftar for representatives of the Muslim community, including the leadership of the SSIC. The embassy amplified the Ambassador’s engagement with religious leaders in promoting interfaith and religious harmony on social media.
The Ambassador and senior embassy officers regularly visited religious services of many denominations to demonstrate U.S. government support for the role faith-based organizations played in promoting peace and religious freedom in the country.
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