More than 4,000 churches have been closed down over the last month in Rwanda for failing to comply with health and safety regulations, including not being properly soundproofed.

It has affected mostly small Pentecostal churches and a few mosques – some of them operating out of caves or on the banks of rivers.

“This is not being done to prevent people from praying but to ensure the safety and tranquillity of worshipers,” Minister of Local Government Jean Claude Musabyimana told state media.

It is the first major crackdown since a law came in five years ago to regulate the proliferation of places of worship. It requires them to operate in an organised way and in safe environment as well as outlawing their use of loud public address systems.

The legislation also compels all preachers to have theological training before opening a church. When the law was adopted in 2018 about 700 churches were initially closed.