Mr. Azrag Barnabas, Garsilla Church, died in November 2021. Three children of the Late Azrag died in house fire on 13 July 2022. All died under unclear and suspicious circumstances. ACJPS is not aware of any suspects arrested in relation to the deaths.
KHARTOUM AUGUST 23: African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) calls for urgent investigations into the deaths of Mr. Azrag Barnabas, a former Christian leader in Garsilla Church who died in November 2021 and his three children who died on 13 July 2022 under unclear and suspicious circumstances.
The center further calls upon Sudanese authorities to protect all citizens, stop the harassment of Christian citizens and ensure the respect for religious rights and guarantee individual’s freedom of worship.
Mr. Azrag was originally from Abyi area and lived in Garsilla since the 1990s with his wife and children. He passed away at Garsilla hospital, West Darfur in November 2021 under unclear and suspicious circumstances.
The postmortem report indicated poisoning as his cause death. ACJPS received reliable information indicating that the medical staff at Garsilla hospital tried their best to save his life but unfortunately, they were let down by the poor health system.
The accuracy of the postmortem report is therefore questionable and there is need for legal investigation to establish the actual cause of death of Mr. Azrag. Following the unclear circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Azraq, the church has since closed as the members were worried about their safety.
Although the death of Mr. Azrag was reported, ACJPS is not aware of any suspects arrested in relation to his death. Investigation into this death was halted after the 25th October 2021 coup that crippled institutions such as police and the office of the attorney.
In a related incident, on 13 July 2022, three children of the Late Azrag died in house fire. Although the cause of the fire is still uncertain, the circumstances surrounding the incident point to the involvement of mobilized extremist groups.
The Children were aged 6, 10 and 11 years. Two died on spot while the third child was rushed to hospital but later succumbed to injuries.
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Image: Lomoraronald
