EASTERN PROVINCE

NYAGATARE — Mystery  still sorrounds an incident early this week in which things suspected to be spirits attacked residents of Rwentanga Cell in Matimba Sector.

For three consecutive days from Monday, residents claimed they had ‘sleepless’ nights after spirits attacked them; throwing stones on house roofs.

Sources said Christians of the Pentecostal church of Vivant abandoned their prayers after the sprits stoned their church. Anxious residents, who talked to our reporter on Thursday morning, said calm was yet to return.

Epimaque Murenzi, the cell executive secretary said the incident started on Monday afternoon and continued unabated through the night; forcing them [local leaders] to seek the intervention of higher authorities.

"For the past two days [Monday- Tuesday] at 8: 00am we mobilized residents for night patrols to find out what exactly was terrorizing us; but to my surprise we established that it’s something to do with demonic powers.” he said.

"So far no one has been hurt, you just hear stones hitting objects but visibly you can’t recognize which direction there coming from,” Murenzi explained.

Murenzi says they first suspected evil-minded people throwing stones just to scare residents, but when the situation continued, they appealed to the sector and security organs to intervene. The Sector executive secretary, Emanuel Tumusime wondered how Christians could be scared by spirits.

"Can you imagine even the so called born again Christians, of Vivant church, abandoned their prayers when the spirits threw stones on their church roof,” Tumusime, wondered.

Tumusime said when the police and army deployed in the cell; they just got puzzled hearing stones hitting roofs without seeing their source. The district police commander, Superintendent Emmanuel Kalasi confirmed the incident.

A security official who reached the area described the incident as unbelievable but real because "stones banged repeatedly in their presence.” Some Christians suggested Godly approach to address the situation.

"Its high time for all who identify themselves as Christians to rise up and pray to suppress such demons, the devil is attacking us visibly. If Christians rise up and pray to their God, there demons which can be rendered powerless,” Christian Kayinamura, who ignored that they had been forced to abandon the church sermon said.

According to area residents, this is the second strange incident to hit Nyagatare. A similar incident, but reportedly more violent is said to have hit Rwempasha Sector in 2002, which torched grass-thatched houses and destroyed domestic property worth millions of cash.

Matimba residents attribute the two incidents to a traditional religious cult, identified as Abarangi or Abacwezi said to be prominent in Nyagatare and other eastern districts of Kayonza and Gatsibo.

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