[ACNS] A group of men fired bullets into the house of the assistant bishop of Juba in South Sudan in the early hours of Sunday as they tried to force their way into the building. They fled when Bishop Fraser Yugu’s pet dog began barking and raised the alarm.

Nobody was injured in the incident. But, as they left, the gunmen shot the dog and destroyed the rear windscreen of the bishop’s car that was parked at his compound in Juba’s Hai Kuwait residential area.

The motive of the attackers remains unknown. Christians in the Diocese of Juba have questioned why gunmen would want to storm the house of a clergyman who has maintained a neutral position in the recent political unrest. They have appealed to security forces to “take all necessary measures to protect civilians.”

Bishop Yugu moved to the residence on his appointment as Assistant Bishop of Juba. Previously, he lived in the cathedral compound when he was Dean of All Saints Cathedral.

Juba is the capital of South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011. There has been an upsurge of violence in the region in recent weeks coinciding with the fifth anniversary of independence.