At least 34 churches have been shut in Angola following an operation dubbed Operação Resgate (rescue operation) by the national police.
The national police director for communication, Orlando Bernardo, said 19 churches were shut in Cabinda Province, 11 in Luanda and four in Malanje province for operating illegally. The government said recently that more than 50 per cent of churches operating in Angola were foreign, mainly from the DR Congo, Brazil, Nigeria and Senegal, adding that at least 1,116 of them operated illegally.
The police rescue operation started on November 6th and will run until the end of the year. The operation aims at restoring the state authority by instituting order in worship, on the roads, fighting unregulated hawking and illegal migrations, among others.