Third church in Tanzania burned down this year; Arson attacks targeting Christians linked to Islamist groups

Chiqui Guyjoco Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Another church in Tanzania has been burned down â€” the third this year alone â€” in a series of arson attacks targeting Christian churches that began in 2013.

An image of the Mbulu Tanzania Catholic Church 2012 | Creative Commons/D. Tamimo Boehm

According to World Watch Monitor, Kagera Regional Police Commander Augustine Ollomi said that the Roman Catholic church of Nyarwele, located in the northwestern Kagera region bordering Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, is the third church to be burned down since January. The first two churches were Tanzania Assemblies of God and Pentecostal Assemblies of God.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the arson attack on May 2, but Ollomi disclosed that the police are now working with seven suspects to help them with the investigation, including the other churches burned down in the region last year.

A secretary of the local Bukoba Pastors' Fellowship, who only wished to be known as Annette, talked to World Watch Monitor during the 2015 attacks and said that Kagera has had over 13 churches torched since 2013 and yet no one has been held accountable. Annette also observed that the arson has become more sophisticated as they have started adding fuel to ensure maximum damage.

"This is not acceptable," she commented. "We are very upset and concerned as this is a trend that can no longer be ignored."

Sabas Kafuba, chairman of the Nyarwele church, shared that among those that were burned were documents, chairs, tables, the psaltery, and generators.

According to Barnabas Fund, the attacks could be linked to Islamist groups Uamsho and Muslim Renewal. Uamsho aims to erect a sharia Islamic state while the Muslim Renewal claims to be working together with Somalia. The international agency fears that the jihadist violence in North East Africa is already spreading southwards.

"Those who think that destroying our church means we won't pray, they are wrong ... We have a big tree near the church and will continue meeting there for prayers," said Fortunatus Bijura, Nyarwele's minister, as they continue to hold their church meetings.