GITEGA / KAYANZA June 3rd (ABP) – The governor of Gitega province, Mr. Venant Manirambona, launched on Monday June 1st the reintegration of 204 followers of the Eusebie Ngendakumana’s sect into their respective families after more than one month of their stay at the temporary accommodation center at the Ingoma stadium in the headquarters of the Gitega province.
Those followers made up of men, women, young people and children originating from the communes of the Gitega province, with a majority of those of the Bugendana commune amounting to 98 people, had arrived at this transit center of Gitega on April 27, 2020 from the Rumonge province where they had transited for about a month, upon their return from the Democratic Republic of Congo where they had gone for reasons related to their beliefs.
Their stay at the Gitega center was taken care of by the provincial administrative authorities, who also organized exchange and training sessions on patriotic and family love, said Mr. Manirambona.
During those exchanges, the governor of Gitega reminded those followers of the importance of returning to their respective families and staying there to work in synergy with other members of their families to promote the harmonious family development. He therefore advised them not to leave their respective families, much less their homeland, to go abroad. He also advised them not to hold groupings and assemblies as long as they have not yet established a religious denomination recognized by law.
On their part, those followers are committed to staying with their respective families, to reintegrating their children into schools, to provide health care and have them vaccinated.
They also promised to respect the law in force in the country and to contribute to the development of their country through their participation in community development work.
Governor Manirambona appreciated the cleanliness they maintained at this temporary shelter.
Regarding the motives for their return to the DR Congo after their reintegration into their respective families, those followers of Eusebie Ngendakumana particularly deplored the attitudes of stigma or mockery displayed by some of their neighbors or their respective families.
To ban this unworthy behavior, the governor of Gitega invited the administrative authorities to sensitize the people and the family members of the returnees for their favorable reception.
It is also in the context of facilitating their reintegration that the Governor of Gitega had organized the transport of people who were to go to districts distant from the town center such as Bugendana and Mutaho, where they were welcomed by the administrative authorities.
In Kayanza, after refusing to sign an act of commitment presented to them on Saturday May 30 by the administrative authorities, the 357 followers of the sect of Eusebie Ngendakumana finally returned to their respective communes on Monday.
The routing in their localities of origin was made in the presence of the socio-cultural adviser to the governor of Kayanza, Mr. Melchior Nyabenda and the deputy provincial commissioner.
It is recalled that those followers of Eusebie Ngendakumana had just spent more than a month at the Rukanu village in Gahombo commune of Kayanza province.