Remains of the Seventh-day Adventist Church burned down by MP Salva Mathok in Warrap State. (Photo: Courtesy).

A Seventh-day Adventist church has been burnt down in Gogrial East, Warrap State in what church officials believe may have been motivated by religious hostility.

Pastor Daniel Marach who is the Church’s Director for Public Affairs in Greater Bahr el Ghazal – says unknown firebugs set the unoccupied house of worship ablaze, on Thursday morning.

He says the church has not established the motive of the attack but believes their ‘serious teaching’ contradicts with some cultures of the local people and could have been the reason why the church was targeted.

“We have got the report from the pastor on the ground that our church was burn down, and up to now we are still trying to find out who is behind the burning of the church so, we have not got clear details on who is really behind the attack,” he told Eye Radio on Sunday morning.

“I do not know they targeted our church but what I know is that our church has its own doctrine and is serious in teaching and protecting those doctrines, maybe those doctrines contradicted with some cultures and that maybe the reason why they target the church,” said Pastor Daniel.

Meanwhile, the former minister of Interior Salva Mathok was seen in a video footage – widely circulated online – condemning the activities of the church.

“There is a church called Seventh-Day Adventist. What it is doing here, I don’t know. I chased them away back in the days,” said the member of the national parliament in his native Dinka language.

“Those who brought them again with their activities of burning our traditional shrines of our forefathers and their law of diminishing the dowry price, claiming that it was said by God. They pray at day time and at night, doing immoralities.”

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 the police custody.