Gen. Salva Mathok Gengdit at Eye Radio in April 2021 | Credit | Jale Richard/Eye Radio

National parliamentarian Salva Mathok has admitted he burnt down the Seven-Days Adventist church in Gogrial East County, Warrap State.

On Sunday a religious leader affiliated with the church denomination said unknown firebugs set the house of worship ablaze on October 28.

Pastor Daniel Marach, the Church’s Director for Public Affairs in Greater Bahr el Ghazal said he believed their ‘serious teaching’ which contradicts some cultures of the local people could be the reason the church was targeted.

But in response, lawmaker Mathok said he took the decision last week, describing the place of worship as a prostitution center.

“This thing is havoc, it has damaged the community at the maximum, the prostitution that they practice in the daylight is non-acceptable to me,” he told Eye Radio, without providing evidence to support his claims.

“So people said that I have burned down the church it’s a prostitution center that I have burned down, and I have accepted it.”

Mathok, who had previously served in a number of top government positions, was also seen in video footage – widely circulated online – condemning the activities of the church.

This is not the first time members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have been harassed in Warrap State.

According to media reports in 2017, more than 150 followers of the church were allegedly arrested and tortured by police authorities in the defunct Tonj State.

The reports quoting Pastor Wol Adewun who was a district leader at the time alleged that the Adventists were forced to drink alcohol and smoke tobacco while in police custody.

The state government said Monday, it has formed a committee to investigate the church burning.