Tag: Rwanda

Angola: 2,000 unregistered churches forced to close

November 14, 2018 Angola, Cameroon, Churches, Rwanda

Catholic church in Jau village, in Angola's southwest Huila province. (Photo: jbdodane via Flickr; CC 2.0)

More than 2,000 churches have been closed and over 1,000 more face closure after Angola’s cabinet approved a new law requiring them to register with the government, including presenting at least 100,000 signatures of followers, as reported by Nairobi-based news site The East African. A local pastor told World Watch Monitor . . . Read More

More than 8,000 Rwandan churches closed following government directive

July 27, 2018 Rwanda Churches, Constitution, Kigali, Rwanda

The Rwanda Governance Board continues to close churches it says fail to meet requirements laid down at the beginning of the year. New requirements set in place for those congregations that want to continue ministry are also complicating efforts to comply. Many see the closures as part of an effort . . . Read More

Thousands of churches closed in Rwanda, as Cameroon considers following suit

April 6, 2018 Rwanda Cameroon, Churches, Kigali, Pentecostals, Rwanda, Sub-Saharan Africa

Pentecostal churches, like this one in Ethopia's capital Addis Baba, are mushrooming in sub-Sahara Africa. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Rwanda has closed thousands churches in the country since February for alleged “noise pollution” and failing to comply with building regulations. Now Cameroon – another majority-Christian country – is considering following suit. The call to shut down some of Cameroon’s Pentecostal churches follows reports of gross misconduct by a number . . . Read More

Rwanda: Six pastors arrested following shutdown of 700 churches

March 8, 2018 Rwanda Churches, Kigali, Pentecostals, Rwanda

Six pastors have been arrested and accused of “masterminding” a ploy to disobey the Rwandan government’s order to shut down over 700 churches in one province. The pastors were alleged to have held “illegal meetings with bad intentions”, the BBC reported. The churches in the central province of Kigali were . . . Read More

Rwanda: 700 churches closed down – in just one province

March 1, 2018 Rwanda Churches, Kigali, Pentecostals, Rwanda

Sainte-Famille Church in Kigali. (Photo: Flickr/Orlando1978)

Rwanda has ordered 700 churches in Kigali Province to suspend activities from today (1 March) because of concerns over health and safety. Under a newly proposed law the churches are expected to meet “basic requirements in terms of safety, hygiene, infrastructure and legality”, Justus Kangwagye, a government official, said. The . . . Read More

African Church must ‘promote peace, forgiveness and reconciliation’

February 7, 2017 Africa, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Nicolas Guérékoyamé-Gbangou, Oumar Kobine Layama, Rwanda

Christian Centre in Abuja, Nigeria.World Watch Monitor African church leaders concerned by the devastating consequences of conflicts across the continent have pledged to focus on preventative efforts. The continent has been among the worst-hit by violent conflicts in recent decades. Countries in West and Central Africa have been particularly affected. . . . Read More

Israel resettling Eritrean refugees in 3rd country

November 29, 2016 East Africa, Eritrea, Israel, Migrants, Refugees, Rwanda, Uganda

Eritreans seeking asylum in Israel are being given the option of resettling in a third country, often Uganda and Rwanda, . But Israel’s ‘policy’ of transferring arrivals from Africa has been criticised. Andie Lambe, executive director of the International Refugee Rights Initiative, an NGO that has conducted extensive research into . . . Read More

Failure to bring IS to justice shows UN genocide conventions ‘obsolete’

November 28, 2016 Canada, Europe, Genocide, International Criminal Court, Iraq, Islamic State, Middle East, Qaraqosh, Rwanda, Syria, UK, UN

The UN has broken the pledges it made in the aftermath of World War II to prevent genocide from recurring, said Ewelina Ochab.World Watch Monitor The UN must urgently put in place measures to hold to account jihadists who have committed atrocities against minorities in Iraq and Syria, because . . . Read More

Muslim and Christian leaders pledge to promote dialogue in Great Lakes region

December 3, 2014 Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda

Attendees of Interreligious Dialogue for Peace and Security in Great Lakes region; Nov 18World Watch Monitor Clerics from Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo have pledged to promote dialogue aimed at preventing sectarian conflict in their countries. Twenty-one Christian and Muslim leaders gathered Nov. 17-18 at Cyangugu, Rwanda, . . . Read More

Understand concept of ‘infidel’ to understand risks of Islamic radicalization

October 21, 2014 Boko Haram, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Pakistan, Rwanda, Salafism

Iraqi Christian children driven out of their homes by IS. Photo taken at a refugee camp in Erbil on September 16.World Watch Monitor In recent history, genocides have often been accompanied by the preparatory dehumanization of victims. In 1994, in Rwanda, for example, the Hutu interhamwe labelled the Tutsis . . . Read More

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