At least nine people were reportedly killed and 29 others wounded following violence at the Bentiu Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in the Unity State capital after authorities attempted to arrest a self-proclaimed prophet called Taban Puol, who claims to be the re-embodiment of Ngundeng Bong on Wednesday.
Ngundeng Bong, who lived between 1830 and 1906, was the most famous and influential prophet of the Nuer people, acting as an earthly medium for the divine sky god, Deng. He built a massive mud-and-ash pyramid shrine (the bei) at Wec Deang in present-day Jonglei State, preached peace and unity, and left behind prophecies preserved in sacred songs that are still invoked in modern South Sudanese politics.
The incident reportedly occurred at around 4:40 p.m. when tensions escalated between security forces and the prophet’s followers, who allegedly resisted his arrest. Witnesses said the confrontation began with stone-throwing before escalating.
Nyiir Gatchang Puoch, chairperson of the Community High Committee at Bentiu IDP Camp, faulted the government for the deaths and injuries, which included children, youth and women.
He said three policemen and 26 civilians were injured and that numerous people are still missing.
“His followers did not allow him to be arrested by the security forces. The police then beat them, and they responded by throwing stones and fighting with sticks and knives. This caused more injuries and deaths among the community members,” he narrated. “Nine people died, and many others are still missing. Twenty-six civilians and three policemen were wounded.”
“We blame the authorities because these civilians belong to the government and they knew there were children and civilians here and could have conducted the arrest at night and not during the day,” Gatchang added.
For his part, Diang Biel, who witnessed the melee, described the incident as being very frenzied, with the self-proclaimed prophet’s followers running after and attacking the security forces.
“People were running after the soldiers and the self-proclaimed prophet. When we reached a tree, gunfire started, but people were safe,” he recounted. “When we reached Sector Two, they said the order had been given, and I saw two military vehicles, and the soldiers started shooting. In front of me, they killed a child, a woman, and a shoe-shiner.”
However, this publication could not independently verify Biel’s claims.
Meanwhile, Simon Gatdeet Biliew, a representative of the civil society network, said the incident was particularly concerning because the camp shelters vulnerable people.
“We strongly condemn the incident because the camp has experienced many incidents since last year, including exchanges of gunfire and random shootings,” he said. “This is not good because it will disrupt and destabilize the settlement. We are particularly concerned because the camp is inhabited by vulnerable people, especially women, children and people living with disabilities.”
“We strongly condemn this incident,” Gatdeet added, while appealing for calm and urging authorities, security forces and community leaders to protect civilians and prevent further violence inside the camp.
Unity State authorities declined to comment on the casualty figures and did not provide any clarification regarding the incident.
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