Rwanda don close more than 10,000 evangelical churches because dem no dey follow 2018 law wey dem design to regulate places of worship.

Di law bring new rules for health, safety and financial disclosures and e require say all preachers get theological training.

President Paul Kagame don dey speak strong against di evangelical churches wey don spring up for di small country for Africa Great Lakes region.

"If e depend on me, I no go even reopen any church," he talk.

"For all di development wahala wey we dey deal with, the wars, our country's survival, wetin be di role of these churches? Dem dey also provide jobs? Plenty na thieves; some churches na den of bandits," he add.

Most Rwandans na Christians, based on 2024 census, and many now dey travel long and costly distances to find where dem go pray.

Di 2018 law require churches to submit annual action plans wey go explain how dem align with "national values". All donations must dey channel through registered accounts.

"Relic of the colonial period"

Pastor Sam Rugira, wey two church branches dem shut down last year because dem no meet fire safety regulations, talk say di rules mainly affect new evangelical churches wey don "mushroom" these recent years.

But Kagame don describe di church as a relic of di colonial period, one part of history wey di country still dey grapple with.

"Dem colonisers don deceive una, and una allow una self make dem deceive una," he talk in November.

But some people talk say di clampdown on places of worship get connection to di 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, wey about 800,000 people dem kill.

Ismael Buchanan, political science lecturer for National University of Rwanda, talk say church fit sometimes act as "a conduit of recruitment" for di Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), di Hutu militia wey form in exile for DRC.

"I agree say religion and faith don play key role for healing Rwandans from di emotional and psychological wounds after di genocide, but e still no make sense to get church every two kilometres instead of hospitals and schools," he talk.