IGAZETI y’Umunara w’Umurinzi yo ku itariki ya 1 Nzeri 1915 yaravuze iti “intambara zose zabaye kera nta cyo zivuze uzigereranyije n’iyi ntambara irimo ica ibintu mu Burayi.” Iyo gazeti yavugaga ibirebana n’intambara ya mbere y’isi yose, amaherezo yaje kugera mu bihugu 30. Iyo gazeti yavuze ko iyo ntambara yari yaratumye “gukora umurimo [w’Ubwami] bigorana, cyane cyane mu Budage no mu Bufaransa.”

Muri iyo ntambara yacaga ibintu hirya no hino ku isi, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya ntibari basobanukiwe neza ko Abakristo batagomba kugira aho babogamira. Icyakora bari bariyemeje gutangaza ubutumwa bwiza. Umuvandimwe Wilhelm Hildebrandt wifuzaga kubwiriza, yatumije inkuru z’Ubwami z’igifaransa zasohokaga buri kwezi (L’Étudiant de la Bible). Ntiyari yaragiye Bufaransa agiye kubwiriza, ahubwo yari umusirikare mu ngabo z’Abadage. Uwo musirikare wabaga anambaye imyenda ya gisirikare, yamenyeshaga Abafaransa bamunyuragaho ubutumwa bw’amahoro, bikabatangaza cyane kuko yari mu ngabo z’umwanzi.

Amabaruwa yasohotse mu Munara w’Umurinzi agaragaza ko hari n’abandi Bigishwa ba Bibiliya bo mu Budage bifuzaga kubwiriza ubutumwa bwiza bw’Ubwami, mu gihe babaga bari mu gisirikare. Umuvandimwe Lemke wari mu ngabo zirwanira mu mazi, yavuze ko hari abasirikare batanu babanaga, bashimishijwe n’ubutumwa bwiza. Yaranditse ati “no muri ubu bwato ndimo, imbuto nsarura zituma Yehova asingizwa.”

Georg Kayser yagiye ku rugamba ari umusirikare, ataha ari umugaragu w’Imana y’ukuri. Byagenze bite? Yabonye igitabo cy’Abigishwa ba Bibiliya, ahita yemera ubutumwa bw’Ubwami abigiranye umutima we wose, maze afasha intwaro hasi. Yatangiye gukora akazi katamusaba kujya ku rugamba. Nyuma y’intambara, yamaze imyaka myinshi ari umupayiniya urangwa n’ishyaka.

Nubwo Abigishwa ba Bibiliya batari basobanukiwe neza ibyo kutabogama, imitekerereze yabo n’imyitwarire yabo byari bitandukanye cyane n’iby’abantu bashyigikiraga intambara. Mu gihe abanyapolitiki  n’abayobozi b’amadini bashyigikiraga intambara, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bo bari bashyigikiye “Umwami w’amahoro” (Yes 9:6). Nubwo bamwe babogamye mu rugero runaka, babonaga ibintu kimwe n’Umwigishwa wa Bibiliya witwaga Konrad Mörtter wavuze ati “nzi neza ko Ijambo ry’Imana rivuga ko Umukristo atagombye kwica.”—Kuva 20:13. *

Mu Budage nta tegeko ryemereraga abantu kutajya mu gisirikare bitewe n’uko umutimanama wabo utabibemerera. Nyamara Abigishwa ba Bibiliya basaga 20 banze kujya mu gisirikare. Bamwe muri bo bafashwe nk’abarwayi bo mu mutwe, urugero nka Gustav Kujath, washyizwe mu kigo cy’abarwayi bo mu mutwe kandi bagatangira kumuha imiti. Hans Hölterhoff na we yanze kujya mu gisirikare baramufunga, ariko yanze gukora akazi kose gafitanye isano n’igisirikare. Abarinzi ba gereza baramuboshye, kugeza igihe amaboko n’amaguru ye abereye ibinya. Abarinzi babonye ko ibyo bidatumye anamuka, bamukangishije kumwica. Nyamara Hans yakomeje gushikama kugeza intambara irangiye.

Abandi bavandimwe bari barajyanywe mu gisirikare, banze gufata intwaro, basaba imirimo itabasaba kujya ku rugamba. * Johannes Rauthe na we ni ko yabigenje, maze bamwohereza gukora ku mihanda ya gari ya moshi. Konrad Mörtter yagiye gukora kwa muganga, Reinhold Weber aba umuforomo. August Krafzig yishimiye ko imirimo yahawe itatumaga ajya ku rugamba. Abo Bigishwa ba Bibiliya hamwe n’abandi bari bariyemeje gukorera Yehova babitewe n’urukundo bamukundaga, no kuba barashakaga kumubera indahemuka.

Abategetsi bagenzuraga cyane Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bitewe n’imyifatire bagaragaje mu gihe cy’intambara. Mu myaka yakurikiyeho, Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bo mu Budage bajyanywe mu nkiko incuro zibarirwa mu bihumbi, bazira umurimo wo kubwiriza. Kugira ngo ibiro by’ishami byo mu Budage bibafashe, byashyizeho urwego rushinzwe iby’amategeko rwakoreraga kuri Beteli i Magdeburg.

Abahamya ba Yehova bagiye barushaho gusobanukirwa ko Abakristo batagomba kugira aho babogamira. Mu ntambara ya kabiri y’isi yose bakomeje kutabogama, birinda ibikorwa byose bifitanye isano n’igisirikare. Ibyo byatumye Leta y’u Budage ibafata nk’abanzi kandi irabatoteza cyane. Icyakora ibyo tuzabisuzuma mu zindi ngingo zizasohoka ubutaha.—Byavuye mu bubiko bwacu mu Burayi bwo Hagati.