On the night of November 4, 2025, heavy rains accompanied by strong winds destroyed the United Methodist Church and devastated the Munyika and Rugeregere neighborhoods of Rugombo commune in Bujumbura Province, causing significant material damage and human casualties.
According to Kwizera Jacques, the local leader, “the torrential rains, which lasted several hours without interruption, destroyed 227 houses, two churches, two schools, and several cultivated fields. Livestock perished, while 14 children and 7 women were injured and hospitalized in a nearby hospital.” The victims, estimated at more than 1,500 people, took refuge with neighbors while awaiting assistance from local and national authorities.
The United Methodist Church of Rugombo, located in the Bujumbura district, is among the religious buildings severely damaged. “The walls, roof, and framework have been destroyed,” laments Pastor Claude Ngendahayo, adding emotionally: “We no longer have a place to worship God.”
The superintendent of the Bujumbura district, Reverend Cimpaye Valentine, issued a call for solidarity: “I call upon the entire Methodist family to join us in prayer and action. May everyone, according to their means, contribute to alleviating the suffering and rebuilding lives. The Church is not made of walls, but of united hearts. Where the building has collapsed, a living Church remains, nourished by God’s faithfulness.”
The director of Rugombo II primary school, Nzikwinkunda Léonce, testifies: “When I arrived in the morning, I found the roof of two classrooms blown away by the wind, the desks destroyed, and school supplies damaged.” In order to continue classes, the 480 students of the school have been temporarily relocated to Rugombo Community High School, where they attend classes in the afternoons.
Rugombo primary school, run under an Adventist agreement, has more than 2,055 students, often crammed more than 120 per classroom, with a severe shortage of desks and school supplies.
Among the many victims, Nshimirimana Nécélate, 51, recounts her distress: “I have lost everything. My two-bedroom house was swept away by the rain. I don’t know where to go with my children.”
The situation remains critical throughout the area. Kwizera Chadrack, socio-economic and development advisor for the Rugombo commune, is sounding the alarm: “We are requesting emergency food aid and immediate medical treatment. The situation is all the more worrying as a cholera epidemic has been declared in the country, due to contaminated water.”
Local and religious authorities are calling for a humanitarian mobilization at all levels – local, national, and international – to help the affected families and rebuild the destroyed infrastructure.
