Rumonge : the governor suspends activities of the EUSEBU church in his province

The governor of Rumonge province (southwestern Burundi) has suspended all activities of the EUSEBU church (Church for the Unity of the Holy Spirit in Burundi) in his province since April 11. Church officials based in the district of Nyanza-Lac (province of Makamba, southern Burundi) are accused of coming to disrupt worship services in Rumonge. He demands the liquidation of the leadership conflict in this church in order to be able to reopen the doors to Rumonge. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

In a written note, the governor accuses Pastor Laban Barankunda, head of the Nyanza-Lac mission of having come to Rumonge for the worship of EUSEBU while the legal representative of the same church suspended all activities of the church in the province.

“Activities have been suspended by the legal representative of EUSEBU at the national level since April 3. But Laban Barankunda dared to come and organize the worship. It risks creating a confrontation between followers”, say sources close to the case .

The governor of Rumonge then ordered the suspension of activities until the disputes that plague this church in Burundi are settled.

Some pastors seek to impose themselves by force while they are disavowed by the followers.

Many pastors and followers of this church have been arrested and are held in different prisons across the country.

“The case is being scrutinized by highest authorities in the country. We remain convinced that these authorities and tenors of the ruling party have a stranglehold on the case”, suspects a follower of the church.

The EUSEBU church has been going through a leadership crisis for several months. The crisis has even cost the lives of two senior church officials. It was in April 2022. The police have announced that they have launched an investigation to find out the perpetrators and sponsors of the double assassination, but no results have been communicated for more than a year.

Created in the 90s in southern Burundi against a backdrop of ethnic conflict within the Pentecostal Church of Burundi, the congregation has been going through a leadership crisis since November 2021.