Rwanda closes around 8,000 places of worship for alleged health, safety concerns

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00:00For the past month, prayers have fallen silent in this Pentecostal church on the outskirts

00:06of Kigali.

00:07Every day of the week, the choir would practice, and it was full of people.

00:13I miss that.

00:15Last August, the Rwandan government shut down nearly 8,000 churches and mosques, about half

00:21of the country's places of worship.

00:23They failed to meet specific safety requirements and administrative guidelines.

00:28The pastor is overseeing renovations in hopes of reopening quickly after installing soundproofing.

00:37I think the government wants to establish clear governance because there was disorder

00:42in the churches.

00:44I'm rather happy.

00:46We needed to improve.

00:49But the closure has upset our faithful because prayer is their life.

00:58Previously, 2,000 worshippers would gather here every Sunday in Batsinda.

01:03For most Rwandans, the Sunday mass is a crucial meeting point.

01:11It's a long journey to the nearest parish.

01:13It's very difficult.

01:14I really hope they will reopen our church.

01:20The government also requires religious leaders to register with local districts and undergo

01:25theological training.

01:28So when these prayer houses do comply with the required standards and requirements of

01:32the law, definitely they are free to reapply, and then a verification will be made, and

01:38then their entities will be open.

01:40These criterias were part of a comprehensive law passed in 2018, which gave organizations

01:45five years to comply.

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