CONGO REPORT

An update on news from the Democratic Republic of Congo,

and CECCA 16, the WEC related church.

October 2008

New Rebels Attack Bunia, Nyankunde

A new rebel group caused panic in Bunia when they stole cattle from the town outskirts. They also caused the evacuation of Nyankunde hospital after an attack there.

According to the BBC, mayhem broke out in Bunia on Friday (10th) after government troops clashed with the rebels less than 10km (6 miles) south of Bunia.

“Local people, hearing the firing and fearful that fighting could erupt in the town centre, fled from the main market.”

The BBC also said:
“The area around Bunia suffered almost a decade of war, which ended with a peace deal in 2006.

“But the rebels say they represent a new coalition, formed to force the implementation of that deal, which included an amnesty for all those who participated in the previous fighting.”

Nyankunde Attack

On October 15 Drs Philip and Nancy Wood wrote:
“It is with very heavy hearts that we write to say that rebels (the cattle thieves of last Friday we believe) arrived in Nyankunde this morning, fought off the Congolese soldiers who were guarding the peace and retreated under attack. During the day they returned and began looting some private houses and the hospital and the nursing school, obliging the nursing students to carry the loot up into the hills. We understand that the students then returned to the group and we have not heard of any loss of life. It seems that 10 rebels were injured and 2 Congolese soldiers.

“Philip spent the entire afternoon at the UN headquarters in Bunia begging for help. It was very disappointing (!) to learn that the UN battalion in Marabo, 4km from Nyankunde, not only did not know what was going on, but didn’t even know where Nyankunde was located.
“Finally they were persuaded to send a convoy to evacuate the 700 people (some or all?) who were sheltering in two private homes.

On the 20th the situation had become clearer and the Woods were able to put together the following outline:

“Attack at Nyankunde 15th Oct 08”

(1) Militia did not come for Nyankunde but to attack the Congolese army at Nyankunde.
(2) Their commander left his phone number with some people, asking them to contact him in case there was a threat “they did not come to destroy Nyankunde.”
(3) Looting was carried out by youths and others that associated themselves with these rebels.
(4) Nyankunde was not the first village to be visited by militia. There has been fighting at Aveba, Bukiringi, Gety, Bavi, Sorodo, etc. More recently, militia came very close to Bunia (at only 7 kms). In all those places, the claim of militia remains the same: Kabila is not doing enough to help them. Maybe by attacking his soldiers, he will be forced to listen to their claims.
(5) We want to keep the hospital open but cannot put the lives of staff at risk. We accept the service of volunteers. We see the need to withdraw students temporarily owing to our responsibility to their parents to keep them safe.
(6) We need to convince MONUC [UN troops] to place a small contingent at Nyankunde under a UN flag with a tank on the hillside overlooking the hospital.
(7) Our ministry is a call from God, and this call does not only mean rejoicing but also SUFFERING for the LORD.

Volunteers Keep Hospital Open

The Woods also wrote:
“A small group of men, doctors and nurses, have volunteered to keep the hospital open in spite of the attack but the Nyankunde Nursing School with 68 students and many family members has already started to move to Beni (Sose) to occupy for this academic year the brand new Operating Block that cannot be used for operations until there is an Intensive Care, Hospitalization and running water.

“There is however enough land that if students want to build their own houses on the site they can.”

Death of Isiro Senior Pastor

Pastor Tagba, the senior pastor of Gamba district died on October 1. He was at Beni, where he had been flown, gravely ill, on September 29.

Rev. Gabriel Tagba Munzonzo (to give his full name) worked at the Isiro branch of the Bank of Kinshasa before studying Theology. He graduated from Bunia Theological Seminary in July 1989. He taught at the Gamba Bible Institute from 1989 to 1991 after which he was sent to be the Principal of the Poko Bible School. About 1993 he returned to his district of Isiro. He pastored the Bethel church in Isiro and taught part-time at the Gamba Bible Institute.

He was sent for his second ‘Cycle’ of theological studies in 1994, which he complete in 1996.

On his return he was made the General Director of the Isiro Tertiary Commercial Institute (Institut Supérieur de Commerce Isiro). He still had this role at the time of his death. In addition in 2003/2004 he replaced Pastor Donda as senior pastor of Gamba district, of which Isiro is the main town.

Celia Pullan writes of Pastor Tagba: “He had been responsible for getting prayer meetings and all-night prayer meetings on a Friday night going again and God was renewing his churches through prayer and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pastor Tagba will be missed.”

Exciting Days for Translation

SIL worker Jill Brace has travelled from Kenya into the DRC to check with the Mayogo team at Isiro. She reports they are a ‘good three quarters of the way through the New Testament now.’

She left on 20th October and was due to return on the 31st, overnighting in Bunia each way. So in her six work days with the team, the plan was to go through 1&2 Peter and Philemon.

She asked prayer for unhindered work “which results in a clear, accurate and flowing translation.”

“That’s the second part of my assignment—to work with the Mayogo on the remaining books of the New Testament, with a target deadline of finishing translation by 2011, so that the whole thing can be published the following year. I believe this is doable, but will require hard, concentrated work from both them and me. These are exciting days; the end is in sight at last! Pray with me for endurance over this 3-year period as we approach the finishing line.”

Paraplegic for 35 Years

Here is a ‘good news’ story from the Woods in the midst of all the stress due to the rebel attacks.

They write:
“Life goes on. Yesterday we had the joy of delivering to Perpetua, a paraplegic of 35 years her new wheelchair from a friend in California. We received the usual very warm welcome and opened her gift ready for her to go to church today to lead two singing groups. Chris Phillips quickly put to use her skills as a physiotherapist setting up the chair, and giving Perpetua a reminder lesson on how to transfer from the bed to the chair.

Celia ‘Not Returning’

After more than 20 years of service in Congo Celia Pullan believes her time there has come to an end. In September “the Lord gave me a witness in my spirit that the Lord Jesus was not returning me to the DR Congo,” she writes.

At an Easter convention in 1967 Celia felt called to the then Belgian Congo. This was while she was enrolled in the Faith Mission Bible College in Scotland.

Celia joined the UFM (Unevangelised Fields Mission), studied French and arrived in Kisangani on November 3, 1971. By this time the country was called Zaire.

She writes of her ministry there: “My evangelism in Kisangani was that each morning I sold books and bibles in the large market place in town. Afternoons I did door-to-door evangelism with a team. We had Open Airs. It was a joy being in the three prisons in town. The men’s prison had 400 men in it and many came to the Lord. The same in the women’s prison and the children’s prison. We were a Hospitality Centre as well, so we had many missionaries come to stay with us whilst they bought supplies in town.”

The UFM had a problem in its relationship with the national church. Celia was not able to return to her Kisangani work and was seconded to WEC to do similar work in Isiro. “I was given a large team of workers. A group of Congolese played the trumpets and trombones. We had open airs in the markets in town and in the avenues, services with the army, door-to-door work and preaching in the prison. I had a red VW car so took a team with me into the villages for meetings.”

In early 1982 Celia collapsed from exhaustion and while recuperating felt a new call to the Jewish people. From 1983 to 1991 she studied Judaism and worked with Jewish people in Britain and in Israel.

In late 1991 Celia was accepted into WEC to work again in Isiro.

“Once again I had a good team to work with, both men and women. We contacted the Chief of Police to ask permission to hold services for the police each Thursday morning at their parade ground. Permission was given and many policemen gave their lives to Jesus. When the war had stopped we had services for the army in the town. Each monday morning we had services with the office staff in town, outside their main office. God blessed that ministry. By 9am we were door-to-door visiting every morning. In the afternoons I visited people on the mission station.

“Pastor Banale and I held seminars together and visited other WEC areas. We preached the Word in many different churches.”

Celia ‘retired’ in 2007 but continued to visit Congo one month a year.

Thousands Flee Fighting; Goma Under Threat

Multiple thousands of terrified people took to the road on foot for the second time in as many days to flee the advance of Tutsi rebel fighters in the eastern DRC.

Heading towards Goma, they had fled fierce battles around Kibumba, 30km away –home to a huge camp for those displaced by the violence that has wreaked havoc in this region over the last year.

Retreating Government troops provoked panic in Goma. Some stole cars and motorbikes. Others looted houses as they fled.

UN soldiers, without a mandate to confront the rebels are also fleeing. Residents have protested and thrown stones.

Their leader General Laurent Nkunda has called a truce, with his troops poised on the outskirts of Goma. Congolese Tutsis want Hutus, who have found refuge in Congo since the Rwandan genocide to be sent back to Rwanda. There are claims that General Nkunda is supported by Rwanda.

Goma is home to HEAL Africa, a ministry lead by Dr Jo Lusi and his wife Lyn. It is a ministry to the many women who have been raped in the area – often by soldiers. On the 30th France Television featured the HEAL ministry and indicated the trauma these women felt at the approach of the rebel force.

Also the 30th IRIN and other agencies reported that government troops in Goma had looted, raped and killed residents on the night of the 29th. France Televisions reported that hospitals were also looted.

For more information on this ongoing crisis:
ABC Australia: www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/30/2405129.htm
BBC Africa: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7698459.stm#text
For more information on HEAL Africa: /www.cnecpi.com.au/where_we_work/africa/dr_congo,_heal_africa.html

LRA Causing Havoc in AIM area.

Africa Inland Mission International (October 7) reports from the area covered by their related church, CECA 20: “News has reached us of recent incursions by the LRA [Lord’s Resistance Army] from Northern Uganda into villages around Dungu further to the north of Bunia. While news is uncorroborated, it is said that two villages were looted, school children abducted, schools and churches burned.
The local people and IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons ie internal refugees] attacked and burned the local MONUC [UN Forces – who are just observing] office. The army is distributing arms to young people to form a militia. Rev Kokole is planning to visit the area to ascertain the situation. Please pray for restoration of peace and long-term solutions to the problem of border security.”

Nyankunde Troubles Affect MAF

MAF (October 15): “Pray for our team based in the east of the DR Congo as they continue to develop the interim base in Bunia. Ask God for guidance in the timing of rebuilding our former Nyankunde base, which currently has a greater risk of insecurity. The team was temporarily evacuated to Uganda last weekend. Please pray that peace will prevail in East Congo and that the programme can resume their flying schedule.”

Americans Urged to Act

Congo Global Action urges Americans to contact their representatives so that Congress would pass the ‘International Violence against Women Act’ and the ‘Conflict Coltan and Casserite Act.’

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