Their pastor allegedly told them that they would 'meet Jesus Christ' after fasting for 40 days.
Eighty members of a Ugandan religious cult who had been convinced to travel to Ethiopia and starve themselves have been repatriated, authorities in Uganda say.A joint police operation is now leading a search for cult leader Simon Opolot.
The 80 members of the Christ Disciples Church reportedly got rid of their belongings earlier this year and then travelled from a rural area in eastern Uganda to southern Ethiopia, a distance of around 500km . "The condition was that to meet Jesus, they needed to be in Ethiopia, and according to him, the world would immediately end."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ethiopia: Blinken, Demeke Meet As USAID Suspends Food Aid to Ethiopia After Widespread, Coordinated DiversionDPM/FM Demeke Mekonnen with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in March. Photo: Antony Blinken
Read more »
Church Christ Disciples cult followers repatriated from Ethiopia to Uganda - ministry | News24Ugandan authorities have said that 80 followers of a religious cult from the country's east had been deported from Ethiopia where they travelled believing they would find salvation through starving.
Read more »
Ethiopia: Government Vows Probe As Food Aid Theft Scandal WidensThe Ethiopian government has promised a full investigation into the diversion of U.S. food aid after a USAID investigation uncovered evidence of widespread aid theft, a State Department statement said.
Read more »
Ethiopia says food aid suspension 'punishes millions'The Ethiopian government on Saturday criticised a move by two major aid organisations to halt the sending of food assistance to the country after discovering it was being diverted from those who need it.
Read more »
Eritrea Rejoins East African Bloc After Almost 16 YearsEritrea has rejoined the East African bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), nearly 16 years after the politically isolated state departed the body. The authoritarian state reportedly suspended its IGAD membership in 2007 following a string of disagreements, including over the bloc's decision to ask Kenya to oversee the resolution of a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia in 1993 and fought a two-year border war with its neighbor that poisoned relations until a peace agreement in 2018. Dubbed the "North Korea" of Africa, Eritrea was sanctioned by the United States in 2021 after sending troops into Tigray.
Read more »
Somalia: Stay in Somalia or Get Out?Jonathan Odur, the opposition MP of Erute South constituency and Shadow Minister for Defence, says the Ugandan contingent in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has done a good job in keeping peace. But like many observers of the peace mission in Somalia, he says no external force can stay in another country for years on end.
Read more »