Rwanda closes 4,000 churches in security crackdown

More than 4,000 churches have been closed in Rwanda in the past month for failing to comply with health and safety regulations, including lack of adequate sound insulation.

This has primarily affected small Pentecostal churches and a few mosques – some of them located in caves or on river banks.

“We are not doing this to prevent people from praying, but to ensure the safety and peace of the faithful,” Local Government Minister Jean Claude Musabyimana told state media.

This is the first serious repression since the introduction of a law regulating the establishment of new places of worship five years ago.

It requires them to operate in an organised manner and in a safe environment, and prohibits the use of loud sound systems.

The law also requires all preachers to undergo theological training before opening a church.

When the new law was passed in 2018, approximately 700 churches were initially closed.

At the time, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said the country did not need many houses of worship, maintaining that such a large number was only suitable for more developed economies that had the resources to maintain them.

Mr Kagame, who just won a fourth term with 99% of the vote, presides over a tightly controlled society where his critics say there is little freedom of speech.

The ongoing operation against churches is being led by local municipal authorities in collaboration with the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB).

Authorities say they took the drastic steps because churches had five years to fully comply with the regulations.

“The government has taken a stance against the spread in houses of worship. We continue to see cases of dilapidated (structures) and unhygienic conditions,” the head of RGB Usta Kayitesi told the New Times news service.

Some of the closed churches were operating in tents, Mr Musabyimana said, putting worshippers at risk.

According to the private Kinyarwanda-language news portal Igihe, 4,223 places of worship have been closed so far, 427 of which are located in caves.

The vast majority of Rwandans are Christians, but many of them also maintain traditional practices.

In recent years, many parts of Africa have seen a rapid growth of Pentecostal churches, often led by charismatic preachers who claim to be able to perform miracles.

Some are huge and attract thousands of worshippers every Sunday, but others are tiny structures built without a building permit.

Source: BBC

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