The followers of Prophetess Zebiya repatriated to Burundi, Again!!!
The briefing Issue #61, Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Dear Readers,
The 1628 followers of the prophetess Zebiya, a 33-year-old young Burundian woman who says she has regular visions of the Virgin Mary, were repatriated to Burundi this Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in the morning. They were mysteriously found in the city of Goma in the Mugunga district last Friday claiming asylum.
The deputy mayor of the city of Uvira in the province of South Kivu, Kifara Kiki handed them over to the governor of the province of rural Bujumbura, Ms. Nadine Gacuti, in the presence of several authorities from two countries on the border with Kavimvira on the Burundian side.
"It is a pleasure to receive our Burundian compatriots. They will undergo patriotic training for a certain period. We will identify their provinces of origin and will be transported to their municipalities, "
said the director in charge of repatriation, Nestor BIMENYIMANA.
“We received this sect on our soil with all its believers. They are not our guests and we asked our neighbor Burundi to be able to receive its nationals. We received the message from Bukavu that there were a large number of Burundians exactly 1628, we welcomed them yesterday Tuesday and we hand them over to the Burundi authorities. "
Said the deputy mayor of Uvira.
Who is Zebiya
Eusébie Ngendakumana, known as Zebiya Ngendakumana claims to see visions of the Virgin Mary on the 12th of each month. She was born in Businde's Hill which is located around 20 km from the center of the province of Kayanza, in the north of Burundi.
Her sect has had a tense relationship with Burundi's government since its formation.
In 2013, a fight broke out between supporters and the police when the police tried to ban hundreds of followers from approaching the area where the cult was gathered. Nine worshipers were killed immediately, a dozen injured.
Around 40 of Zebiya's supporters were arrested on Easter in Businde's hill and sentenced to between 6 months’ and 3 years’ imprisonment
In a meeting held in April 2013, the Minister of Home Affairs said that their worship site will remain closed to prayers until the Catholic Church recognizes the apparitions of Zebiya and that any violation of this interdiction would be punished in accordance with the law.
Zebiya then fled toKamanyola in the DRC, a place that became a new sanctuary for her 3000 worshipers in South Kivu.
But relations with the Congolese authorities eventually deteriorate. In 2017, the Congolese government and UNHCR asked them to register biometrically. They refuse, explaining that this is against their faith.
Tensions build up until September 15, when clashes opposed Congolese police and soldiers and Zebiya sect members. A Congolese police officer was shot dead, the police responded and ultimately killed 39 people and injured around 100.
The followers of Zebiya then fled to Rwanda, barely 12 km away. They again apply for refugee status but were eventually returned to their country of origin in April 2018, again for refusing to register biometrically.
1,600 followers then decided to return to Burundi and had been settled in the Gashora site. They were welcomed in Kirundo province, in northwestern Burundi, and began to return to their original hills, for those who can.
The repatriated group of this Wednesday was a new attempt to settle in the Eastern DRC
Fabrice Iranzi
Editor, RegionWeek.com
IN THE REGION
Kenyan Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Wednesday, March 18, addressed the possibility of a total lockdown as confirmed cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in Kenya rose to seven. Kagwe had announced that three individuals, a Burundian national and a couple from Spain who all landed in Kenya from Dubai on March 17, and March 4, respectively, had tested positive for Covid-19. Having previously stated that a lockdown was an option on the table, Kagwe stated that the National Emergency Committee would initiate a lockdown if they were advised to do so by a team of experts currently tracking the cases and creating models based on likely scenarios. (Kenyans)
Tanzania has reported two new coronavirus cases raising the total to three, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has confirmed. Majaliwa on Wednesday told journalists that the two patients are foreign nationals from the US and Germany. One case was confirmed in Dar es Salaam and one in Zanzibar, according to Majaliwa. Tanzania confirmed its first case of the coronavirus pandemic on Monday in the northern town of Arusha. The patient, a 46-year-old Tanzanian woman, had returned from Belgium on Sunday aboard a RwandAir plane.(The East African)
Thousands of people are fleeing ongoing inter-communal clashes in South Sudan’s Jonglei State and the newly created Greater Pibor Administrative Area – the latest challenge to efforts to cement peace following last month’s formation of a unity government. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières reported an influx of 83 wounded patients last week in Jonglei and said it had treated 45 gunshot wounds in Pibor, as fighting between large groups of Lou Nuer and neighboring Murle pastoralists continued. It's an area that was hard-hit by flooding last year. (NH)
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