Rutana: ten worshipers of the United Methodist Church in detention

A dozen Christians from the United Methodist Church are kept in different prisons since November 20. They keep coming to pray in that congregation while they have been chased away. They are all from the province of Rutana (South-east of the country). INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Nine faithful are held in the police cells in Rutana after their arrest on November 20 in Giharo.

The other faithful in detention was arrested last Sunday in church while praying.

The families of the arrested faithful believe that the reason for these arrests results from the leadership disputes observed in this church at the national level.

A source close to the congregation explains that “quarrels have broken out since the illegal replacement of Jean Ntahoturi at the post of legal representation by the current president of the senate Emmanuel Sinzohagera, 2 years ago”.

Christians in detention are accused of being on the side of the replaced leaders.

At the head of these arrests is cited Cyriaque Komezurugendo, secretary of the CNDD-FDD in the Butezi zone at the same time a member of the municipal council of Giharo.

‘To have them apprehended, Cyriaque Komezurugendo accused them of being CNL activists even though they were on the list of CNDD-FDD activists,” said a source familiar with the matter.

Among the faithful detained, there is a certain Elias Bararufise who was among the leaders of this church in Giharo.

A girl in the last year of secondary school has also been in detention since November 20.

Her parents claim to have demanded that she be released in order to take the exams at the end of the 1st trimester, without success.

One of the parents would have suggested to be imprisoned instead of his daughter but his request was not heard. Three of the ten Christians are women.