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By:
Harrison Maina | |||||||||
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Jun,05-2015 19:58:16
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CHELSEA, Mass.,--Born and raised in a small Tanzanian fishing village of Kagunga, right on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Rev. Jared Mlongecha, pastor of the International Gospel Church in Chelsea near Boston is a troubled man due to the recent developments taking place the tiny village where he grew up.
In response, the pastor is inviting Africans and friends in the area for a breakfast prayer meeting this Saturday over the growing humanitarian crisis engulfing Burundi, and threatening to spill over into the entire Great Lakes region of east Africa.
According to Rev. Mlongecha, he has become dumbfounded at the recent political turmoil in neighboring Burundi that has forced over 80,000 refugees to flee and pack into the tiny village of Kagunga. Citing reports on the ground from fellow clergymen in Kagunga, Mlongecha said that the situation is deteriorating daily as more thousands upon thousands continue to flee the violence that has rocked the tiny country since a failed coup took place several weeks ago. "I feel very sad with what is going on in my rural village back in Tanzania.Based on the report from the local Pastors on the ground, the refugee's arrival by the day is in thousands and their condition is catastrophic. Some of the local churches have opened their doors to shelter many of these refugees but they are having a hard time to cope.The UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) and other relief organizations currently working to alleviate the problem have been overwhelmed by the volume of the refugees. And if the political conditions continue to worsen Burundi,the whole region will be affected," he told Ajabu Africa News during a telephone interview. Rev. Mlongecha said that the entire Great Lakes region of eastern Africa has been rocked by incredible political crisis for over two decades with the recent fresh crisis in Burundi has caused over 150,000 Burundians to flee to the neighboring countries of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. He said that his village can hardly cope with the influx of refugees. He called on east Africans in the Boston region to join him at his church this Saturday morning for prayers and deliberations on what they can afford to do to help alleviate the suffering, even as other aid organizations struggle to keep up. "I would like to invite you for a morning of Prayer for Burundi and the whole Region of the Great Lakes. I believe that if we the people of God will take matters of the NATIONS in our hands through prayer,God will intervene," he said quoting from the book of 11 Chronicles7:14. The pastor added that the meeting will start at 9.30am at the church located at 85 Crescent Avenue, Chelsea, 02150. He urged concerned Africans and well wishers to turn out in large numbers for the breakfast prayers since "an urgent need requires an urgent response." The crisis was caused by the declaration of Burundi president, Pierre Nkuruzinza that he would seek for a third term in office instead of the two specified in the constitution. The president, who has been in power for two 5 year terms already, has been quoted widely as saying that he has a right to run for another term as his first term was never by popular vote but rather was by a direct appointment by the Parliament. However, opposition figures have vehemently opposed the president's argument, leading to clashes between opposition activists and rebel forces on one side and the royal troops on the other. A coup plotted by rebel troops 3 weeks ago when the president had travelled for a meeting in Tanzania failed badly, leading to the arrest of the leader, Major General Godefroid Niyombare. However, clashes have continued unabated to date leading to the current humanitarian crisis. To reach Rev. Mlongecha for more information, call: 781-284-0510. | |||||||||
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Source:
Ajabu Africa News
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