A church in South Africa, which has been one of the primary destinations of refugees in the region, has recently announced that it will not anymore provide shelter to refugees.
Central Methodist Church which is located in Johannesburg has began 'evicting' refugees from the church beginning December 31.
In the report by Al Jazeera, it is estimated that there are still about 200 refugees in the church, down from about 500 during Christmas Day.
Bishop Paul Verryn, whose term as pastor for the church has ended on Wednesday, said in an interview that some members of the church did not actually support the idea of harboring refugees from nearby war-torn countries.
"I don't think everyone at the church had welcomed this project to allow refugees to live here," Bishop Verryn said.
The Central Methodist Church has provided shelter, counselling, medical services, and education for children among other kinds of assistance to improve the refugees' well-being since year 2000.
Some experts even claim that there may be about 30,000 refugees who have sought shelter and refuge in the church over the years.
However, some groups think that there may not be enough assistance for refugees as they seek their new homes apart from the church.