Rwanda’s newly elected Mufti says he will battle Islamic radicalism amid concerns that Rwandan youngsters are being lured into extremist groups like Al Shabaab and Islamic State.

Sheikh Salim Hitimana was elected Mufti to serve a five-year term by the Supreme Muslim Council of Rwanda which convened last weekend in Kigali. He will be deputised by Mufti Swaleh Nshimiyimana.

Sheikh Hitimana replaced Sheikh Ibrahim Kayitare, who was elected two and half years ago to replace the embattled Mufti Abdul Karim Gahutu who was deposed before completing his mandate.

Mr Kayitare had taken over to restore sanity within the Muslim community in Rwanda, which was then riddled with infighting, claims of genocide ideology and extremism.

“I will focus on eliminating extremist beliefs among our youth who are being misled by some elements who lead them into acts of radicalism,” he said.

“One way to solve this problem will be through creating jobs and activities to keep our youth busy. The reason some of them engage in such acts is because they are unemployed,” Sheikh Hitimana said after piping his opponent Sheikh Moussa Gatete to the post in a tight vote.

Mr Nshimiyimana, who also serves as a commissioner on the National Electoral Commission (NEC), said that they will unify and reconcile the Muslim community.

The outgoing Mufti Sheikh Kayitare said that they took over at a time when infighting was breaking apart the Muslim community, saying some Muslim youth were arrested for planning attacks on churches in the country with intentions of burning them down during worship.

He noted that the other challenge was the issue of unemployment and poverty within the Muslim community, stating that a lot has been done to change that over the last two years.

Sheikh Kayitare took over from Sheikh Gahutu, who was accused of mismanaging the resources of the community and allowing extremism and genocide ideology to thrive.

The election of the new Mufti comes after government warned that acts of radicalism were increasing among the youth.

President Paul Kagame in March alluded to religious radicalism as a major concern, citing the case of a Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) soldier who opened fire on his colleagues on a peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic in August 2015 which he said was a result of religious extremism.

READ: Kigali moves to nip radicalisation and terrorist recruitment in the bud

On January 23, police shot and killed Muhammad Mugemangango, a deputy Imam at Kimironko Mosque in Kigali, as he tried to flee from custody.

Mr Mugemangango, 39, had been arrested on suspicion of recruiting young men and women for IS. The incident elevated fears of radicalisation taking root in Rwanda.

Both President Kagame and the police have said that despite the country being free from overt activities of extremist groups, it has for a while been targeted as a recruitment zone.

Seventeen Rwandans — all Muslims and suspected to be recruiters and some the recruited — are currently on trial on terrorism related charges.

The suspects are middle-aged and they included three women. The police said they were accomplices of Mugemangango and that some of their accomplices had escaped “beyond the borders.”