“UNACCEPTABLE”: Activist condemns church arson, vandalism

JUBA – Activist Edmund Yakani has issued a statement condemning this week’s setting of a Church on fire by lawmaker and former deputy minister of interior Gen. Salva Mathok Gengdit in an area of Warrap State.

In a recorded statement, Gen. Mathok said he set the Seventh-Day Adventist Church because its members are extremely “destroying our way of life” and as such they shouldn’t be allowed to operate there.

In a statement, Yakani condemned the actions of the lawmaker who represents one of the constituencies of Warrap State in the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) and said it is an unfortunate action since the culprit is a lawmaker.

“CEPO strongly condemns the burning of the seventh Day Adventist church by the lawmaker and former deputy minister of interior due to misunderstanding between him and the church,” the CEPO said in a statement signed by its Executive Director Edmund Yakani.

“The burning of the church is clear demonstration of attitude of individual taking the law into his hand. Whatever crime the church has committed should never allow individual to order or burn a church without order or directive from the competent court of law,” the statement added.

Yakani further deplored the actions of the lawmaker and called it “unfortunate” and added that “It is surprising to many of us.”

He called on Mathok to apologize and for the Church to seek legal remedy to the problem.

“The unlawful act of burning the seventh Day Adventist church is total violation of the freedom of worship as stipulated in our constitution bill of right article 23 (a). These practices of our powerful leaders in the executive and legislative organs taking the law into their hands needs to be stop by the top leadership of the country. In some cases, this practice results to taking away life of individuals because someone is powerful in public office,” Yakani stressed.