TheCable

At least 34 churches have been shut in Angola following an operation dubbed Operação Resgate (rescue operation).

Orlando Bernardo, national police director for communication, said 19 churches were shut in Cabinda province, 11 in Luanda and four in Malanje province for operating illegally.

Recently, the government said more than 50 percent 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 6 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.

During the operation’s first week, at least 509 people were arrested for several crimes.

Three foreign nationals, two from DRC and one from the Republic of Congo, were among those detained.