Pray for Peace

See Congo update and prayer requests by Dr. Tom Cairns below.

*Note: CECU is the Evangelical Free Church in the DRCongo. President Bosokpale is the current leader of that denomination.

The town of Dongo is about 90 miles west of Gemena

Urgent Prayer Requests about Fighting in the Ubangi 12-7-09

Brief Summary: The fighting which began with some local tribes fighting over fishing rights in the southern reaches of the Ubangi has escalated significantly. At least 90,000 people have fled their homes, many to Congo Brazzaville across the river. Others are living in the forests. President Kabila flew to Gemena last week and promised immediate action to end the uprising. He has sent into Gemena several thousand soldiers with weapons who have gone on down to that area to resolve the situation. Some are being brought back wounded and getting care at the hospitals. The problem is that the presence of soldiers instills fear and reminds people of the violence of the previous war. As a result people at Tandala have all fled into the forests except for the doctors. People in Gemena are making plans to flee. Some have fled and are being encouraged to return to their homes. The church leaders are figuring out ways to hide valuable equipment and records.

Background: In mid-October fighting broke out among several tribes in the far southwest corner of what we know as the Ubangi. These were among some groups we would call water people as they live in the swamps and on the streams, though they are quite a bit west of the area that we have usually referred to as the “water people” within the CECU*. This area has festered in the past but never to this level of violence. A chief had been deposed by the regional government and was angry. Together with a local witch doctor they began stirring up their people. The fighting spread north to the town of Dongo on the Ubangi River (the western border of Congo and of the CECU*), and then down-river to Imese and beyond. Immediately people began fleeing to get away from the tribal clashes, some into the forests or other inland towns within the Kungu territory, most crossing the Ubangi River to the Republic of Congo.

The insurgents were working under the banner of “The Resistant Patriots of Dongo” but have now changed to the “Independent Allied Movement of Liberation.”

The national police were trying to quell the rebellion with their capabilities. The UN and various NGO began trying to provide help for refugees, but most of their assistance has been on the Congo Brazzaville side. On Nov. 25^th, a UN helicopter landed at Dongo to allow UN staff to evaluate the situation there. At the time of taking off they got into the cross-fire of the police and the rebels who were skirmishing. Five people on the helicopter were injured during take-off but the chopper did succeed in departing and got across the river to safety. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, condemned the attack and implored the Congo government to act, promising UN help.

On Monday Nov. 29, President Kabila, the national leader, flew to Gemena and met with the governor, regional leaders, military leaders and the police and planned how they could quell the rebellion. He promised action within 24 hours. Indeed, almost immediately plane-loads of soldiers began arriving in Gemena and have continued to arrive throughout this week. They are heading down to the area of conflict, which means driving right past Tandala, on through Bozene, Kungu and to Dongo and beyond.

Already there are reports of numerous soldiers being brought back for care with machete wounds from the fighting.

All of which is to say that there is great need for prayer for the CECU*:

• For the leadership
• For peace in the Ubangi
• For great wisdom for all leaders in how to act
• For the government that they will make the right decisions, not out of spite or retribution.
• That the CECU* will be a real light in the midst of this darkness.

President Bosokpale* specifically asks for your prayers:

• Pray for people’s hearts to turn to the Author of Peace, and to realize that God alone is the solution to their needs.
• Ask God to give wisdom to leadership and the course that is set by the church to assist those in need during this difficult time.
• Pray that the church would respond with peace and hope to those in need around them. Many thousands of people are now displaced, having fled the epicenter of the conflict.