MU NTANGIRIRO z’umwaka wa 1916, Intambara Ikomeye yaje kwitwa Intambara ya Mbere y’Isi Yose, yari imaze umwaka urenga ica ibintu. Impande zombi zari zishyamiranye zapfushaga abantu benshi cyane.

Umunara w’Umurinzi wo ku itariki ya 1 Mutarama 1916, wagize uti “intambara ikomeye iri kubera i Burayi, yatumye abantu bamwe bahindukirira idini kandi batekereza ku mibereho yabo y’igihe kizaza.” Wakomeje ugira uti “nimucyo twite cyane ku nshingano ziyubashye dufite, dukoreshe uburyo bwose tubona kugira ngo tudacika intege, ahubwo turwanire ishyaka Imana n’ubutumwa bwayo.”

Isomo ry’umwaka wa 1916 ryashishikarizaga abavandimwe kugira ‘ukwizera gukomeye,’ nk’uko bivugwa mu Baroma 4:20. Abigishwa ba Bibiliya benshi bagize ukwizera gukomeye maze Yehova abahundagazaho imigisha.

Intumwa z’umuryango wa Watch Tower zasuraga Abigishwa ba Bibiliya bo mu migi itandukanye zikabatera inkunga kandi zikabigisha.  Mu mwaka wa 1916, hari nibura intumwa 69 zakoze ingendo z’ibirometero bigera ku bihumbi 800.

Igihe Walter Thorn wari intumwa y’umuryango wa Watch Tower yatangaga disikuru mu ikoraniro ryabereye i Norfolk muri leta ya Virijiniya, yagereranyije intambara y’Umukristo n’iyo Ntambara Ikomeye, agira ati “bavuga ko hari abantu babarirwa hagati ya miriyoni makumyabiri na miriyoni mirongo itatu barwana iyo ntambara. . . . Nubwo isi itabizi, hari undi mutwe [w’abasirikare]. Ni abasirikare b’Umwami, kandi kimwe n’abasirikare ba Gideyoni, na bo bari ku rugamba, uretse ko batarwanisha intwaro izi zisanzwe. Barwanirira ukuri no gukiranuka, kandi barwana intambara nziza yo kwizera.”

Mu rugamba rwabereye ku ruzi rwa Somme mu Bufaransa mu mwaka wa 1916, abantu basaga miriyoni barakomeretse abandi baricwa. Ariko abavandimwe bo mu bindi bice by’u Bufaransa, bakoranaga umwete bagafasha amatorero nubwo bari mu bihe bitoroshye by’intambara. Umunara w’Umurinzi wo ku  itariki ya 15 Mutarama 1916, warimo ibaruwa y’umwigishwa wa Bibiliya witwaga Joseph Lefèvre, wahunze umugi yari atuyemo wa Denain mu Bufaransa, igihe wigarurirwaga n’ingabo z’Abadage mu mwaka wa 1914. Yahungiye mu mugi wa Paris atangira kwifatanya n’itorero ry’Abigishwa ba Bibiliya ryaho. Nubwo yari arwaye, yatangiye kuyobora amateraniro yose.

Nyuma yaho, Théophile Lequime na we wari warahunze umugi wa Denain, yaje kwifatanya na Joseph. Mu mizo ya mbere, umuvandimwe Lequime yagiye mu mugi wa Auchel mu Bufaransa, atangira guhindura ingingo z’Umunara w’Umurinzi akazoherereza abavandimwe bari mu turere tutari twarigaruriwe n’Abadage. Abayobozi b’ingabo bo mu mugi wa Auchel bamwirukanye muri uwo mugi kuko batamushiraga amakenga. Umuvandimwe Lefèvre yabonaga ko kuba umuvandimwe Lequime yaraje i Paris byari igisubizo cy’amasengesho ye.

Babonye ingororano z’umurimo bakoreye i Paris. Umuvandimwe Lefèvre yaranditse ati “ubu dufite itorero ry’abantu bagera kuri mirongo ine na batanu . . . Hari benshi biboneye ko kwiyegurira Imana ari byiza, kandi bakomeje kugira amajyambere yihuse. Abagize itorero hafi ya bose baza mu iteraniro ry’ubuhamya rya buri cyumweru.”

Mu ntambara abavandimwe bacu benshi bahuye n’ikibazo cyo kutagira aho babogamira. Mu Bwongereza hatowe itegeko ryagengaga umurimo wa gisirikare, ryahatiraga abagabo bose bafite imyaka 18 kugeza kuri 40 kujya mu gisirikare. Icyakora Abigishwa ba Bibiliya benshi barashikamye, bakomeza kutagira aho babogamira.

Urugero, Umunara w’Umurinzi wo ku itariki ya 15 Mata 1916, wasohoye ibaruwa ya W. O. Warden wo muri Écosse. Yagiraga ati “umwe mu bahungu banjye ubu afite imyaka 19. Kugeza ubu yahagarariye Umwami neza kuko yanze kwiyandikisha mu gisirikare, kandi nibinaba ngombwa ko bamurasa bamuziza ko yanze kujya mu gisirikare, niringiye ntashidikanya ko Yehova azamufasha kutanamuka ku mahame y’ukuri akiranuka.”

 Umupayiniya wari ukiri muto witwaga James Frederick Scott wo mu mugi wa Edinburgh muri Écosse, yaciriwe urubanza bitewe n’uko yanze kujya mu gisirikare. Icyakora urukiko rumaze kumva ibimenyetso byose, rwafashe umwanzuro w’uko umuvandimwe Scott “yarengerwaga n’ingingo zo mu itegeko rigenga umurimo wa gisirikare” maze rumuhanaguraho icyaha.

Ariko hari abandi benshi batasonewe. Raporo yasohotse mu Munara w’Umurinzi wo ku itariki ya 15 Ukwakira 1916, yavugaga ko muri Nzeri, mu bavandimwe 264 banditse basaba gusonerwa, 23 bahawe imirimo itabasaba kujya ku rugamba, abandi basigaye, bamwe muri bo bakaba “barahawe ibihano bitandukanye,” bategetswe gukora “imirimo ifitiye igihugu akamaro, urugero nko gukora imihanda, gucukura amabuye n’ibindi.” Abavandimwe batanu ni bo bonyine basonewe.

Ku itariki ya 16 Ukwakira 1916, umuvandimwe Charles Taze Russell wayoboraga umurimo w’Abigishwa ba Bibiliya, yatangiye urugendo rwo gutanga za disikuru mu burengerazuba bwa Amerika. Ntiyigeze agaruka mu rugo, kuko yapfuye ku gicamunsi cyo kuwa kabiri tariki ya 31 Ukwakira, afite imyaka 64 ubwo yari muri gari ya moshi i Pampa muri leta ya Tegizasi.

Abavandimwe benshi bumvaga ko nta muntu wasimbura umuvandimwe Russell. Inyandiko y’umurage we yasohotse mu Munara w’Umurinzi wo ku itariki ya 1 Ukuboza 1916, yagaragazaga uko yifuzaga ko umurimo yari amaze igihe kirekire ayobora wakorwa. Ariko hari hakiri ikibazo: ni nde wari kumusimbura?

Icyo kibazo cyari gufatirwa umwanzuro mu nama ngarukamwaka y’umuryango wa Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, yari iteganyijwe mu ntangiriro z’umwaka wa 1917. Abari muri iyo nama baratoye, bose bahuriza ku mwanzuro umwe. Ariko mu mezi yakurikiyeho, ubumwe bwabo bwajemo agatotsi kandi abavandimwe bari bagiye guhura n’ibigeragezo bikaze.