The Seventh Day Adventist Church headquarters in the United State of America has gotten the wind of the persecution and harassment of its church leaders and members by the Burundi government in a bid to capture it and has spoken out.
Church’s president Ted Wilson in a statement this week said that two SDA leaders and approximately 21 others had been arrested in recent weeks in the East African country.
“For more than six months, the Burundi government has increasingly harassed and abused the Seventh-day Adventist Church by imprisoning, beating, and intimidating Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders and members,” said President Wilson.
He said that on Friday last week, the president of the Burundi chapter of the church Pastor Lamec Barishinga and local field president Pastor Lambert had been detained – after the arrests of 21 other church members since early May.
Pastor Lamec (Union President) was reportedly taken as a thief being at his home, while Pastor Lambert (Field President) was indicted as a gangster.
Another lay leader Evangelist Landry was arrested as a bandit.
A Facebook user who claims to be an SDA cleric by the name of Nshimirimana Dieudonne wrote:
“We are very sad to see our Beloved Burundi country spoken all over the world that Religious Liberty is at its end in it. We hope that things will not remain how they are.”
An Adventist pastor who requested anonymity told AFP on Tuesday that the two leaders were detained after Bujumbura (former capital, largest city and main port of Burundi) refused the church’s attempts to fire Pastor Barishinga’s forebear, Joseph Ndikubwayo, who’s been closely linked to the government.
“It is to put pressure on them,” the source said.
Ndikubwayo was jolted out of office in November 2018, accused of embezzling church funds and also accepting a role with a state instrument, “which fundamentally contradicts church doctrine”, according to another pastor, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
However, Interior Minister Pascal Barandagiye refused to accept the nomination of a new head, citing “problems at the church” caused by the choice of a “contested” leader.
Instead, he extended Ndikubwayo’s term until they could hold an election to replace him.
In a letter to President Wilson sent in April, Barandagiye said that in the absence of a cooperation agreement between the Adventist church and the government of Burundi, the local church must “conform to national law”.
Others, however, feel that President Wilson calling out the Burundi government will consequently place the apprehended in more jeopardy than good.
“Dear Pastor please do not say that there’s violation in Burundi because you can put those which are arrested in big trouble(sic)!”
Burundi plunged into crisis when President Pierre Nkurunziza sought in April 2015 a fiercely contested third term in office.
Violence claimed at least 1,200 lives and displaced over 400,000 people between April 2015 and May 2017, according to estimates by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has opened an investigation.
Since then, the government has clamped down on the media and adopted strict laws to tighten control on associations and local churches.
The Adventist church counts around 150,000 members in Burundi and is one of the oldest in the country.
Hallelujah Magazine is committed to publishing reliable, trusted, quality and independent Christian journalism. Our journalism is free from commercial bias and is not influenced by wealthy people, politicians, clerics or shareholders. We value our readers’ feedback, suggestions and opinions. Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
1 comment