Overall things are going much better in the northwestern region of the Congo, which in December was subjected to considerable strife due to conflict between rebels fighting over fishing rights, and Congolese militia.
I wanted to post a few of the recent updates I've received from the EFCA. Notice when they are dated (oldest at the top, most recent at the bottom); hopefully the situation has continued to improve. I am omitting some parts not relevant to this conversation.
The first is from Jill Hall, the GlobalFingers director, regarding the whereabouts of sponsored children. (You will recall that many families fled into the bush in order to avoid exposure to the fighting.) It incorporates a note from the Congolese director of the nonprofit and was written Dec. 18:
Call to Prayer - Update
Thank you so much for your prayers of protection of all GlobalFingerprints orphans last week. While there is still a lot we do not know, as communications are very sketchy and many people are still hiding in the forests, it does appear that some degree of order has been restored by the Congo Army and that immediate risk from the rebels has been reduced.
Yesterday we received the following email from Mama Lopango, the Congolese director of GlobalFingerprints.
I give thanks to God for taking care of us during a difficult time in our lives. Our staff at GlobalFingerprints and CECU (the Congolese Free Church) is well, but many of our family members are still in hiding. In Gemena, many people are still in the forest. Communication is not good, and at the moment, hearing from our supervisors is not possible. When they are sure that it is peaceful, they will start coming. It is still hard to travel on the roads. School has not yet started either.
On Dec 2, I went to Bangui to look for tennis shoes, and found none. But one of the sellers took my money and said the shoes were coming. He just called me to say that the shoes have arrived and I can go get them. I will go once it is peaceful again. (Note – these are shoes being purchased from the funds raised by the 2009 VBS program “Shoe Me” project.) With courage and in faith, I left Bangui to come home to be with our families who had fled to the forest. Keep praying.
We will not know specific information about any of the orphans for at least a month or two. The only communication will come when supervisors are able to come into Gemena (the headquarters of GlobalFingerprints), and even then if the orphans are in hiding with their families or if they have fled over the border to Congo Brazzaville we may not know specifics for months. As we find out information about specific orphans, we will communicate the information to their sponsors.
Please continue to pray. While the immediate risk of fighting may be over, people are still extremely fearful and many are still hiding in the forest – which means even poorer nutrition than normal and increases the risk of illness.
Learn more online about the situation in Congo, updates on our response, and how you can pray for the Evangelical Free Church of Congo.
Thank you so much for your prayers and concern for the orphans. Your prayers and support are so important – you are bringing hope and changing lives for many. As of today there are 974 orphans sponsored in Congo, and we are on track to have 1,000 orphans sponsored by January 1.
Jill Hall
Next is a Dec. 22 update from Dr. Tom Cairns:
Congo News for December 22, 2009
RadioOkapi is the UN news voice in Congo. Some items they are reporting:
- A delegation of Parliament deputies (like our House of Representatives) is going to visit Dongo to comfort, encourage return and negotiate peace. Congo government has done nothing for humanitarian needs so far.
- There was a serious round of fighting in Dongo on the Ubangi River as the rebels struggled to regain control of the city. Apparently the government army forces remain in control.
- 160 refugees arrived in the provincial capital of Mbandaka Sunday from a village on the Congo river! Up until now, all the fighting has been on the Ubangi River. They report serious fighting within their area over the last ten days. Although this area is far south of Tandala and the CECU area, it does indicate that the war has spread southward and is not close to resolution as had been thought.
- In addition to the vast numbers of refugees in Congo Brazzaville, there are now apparently 7500 who have crossed further north into Central African Republic. And a missionary doctor colleague in Impfondu reports significant fighting on the Ubangi River itself as various boats have come under attack near their town.
Some English News media reports:
News from President Bosokpale and the Joint response of the CECU and ReachGlobal
The President is connecting with the UN to see what their plans are to provide relief to the affected. The CECU would like to get moving on something quickly, especially following his trip to Tandala and seeing the hardship experienced by so many so nearby. We hope to send a wire early next week. Ask people in your churches to pray for the funds necessary to be able to acquire and distribute resources essential to the relief effort and that cooperative efforts with the UN would go smoothly.
He also sends a Christmas greeting to all of us:
Thanks for your ongoing prayer for us.
Greetings to all of you and we want to with you a wonderful holiday of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and a Good New Year in 2010. May God continue to bless and care for you so that our partnership will move forward in a good way.
Rev. Bosokpale
Please Continue to Pray:
- For a quick end to the fighting and resolution of the issues
- For much wisdom for President Bosokpale and the leaders of the CECU in how best to help in the face of such massive needs
- For security in the Ubangi so that the many thousands of people can return from the forests and from Congo Brazzaville to their homes
- For the funds needed to send to allow the CECU to help the refugees wherever they are
- That the doctors and staff at Tandala will continue to be a light and have a great ministry to the refugees, the war-wounded and the many others who come for care
Thanks to each one of you for your interest and commitment to the ministry in Congo through the CECU and the Congo Consortium. May you have a truly joyous Christmas time as we celebrate the birth of Christ – Immanuel, God with Us.
Finally, a January 1 update from Dr. Tom, which is the most recent we have received:
Congo News for January 1, 2010
We learned yesterday from President Bosokpale, and confirmed by a Catholic Brother who lives in Bobito (small town 9 kms east of Tandala) that many people there are still living in the forests. The President had occasion to drive through Bobito this week and reports there are still some unburied bodies decaying in the streets of Bobito. The President’s view is that the people are still living in the forests waiting for the government to come clean up the town. That would be their indication that it is safe to return.
World Food Program has just started food distribution to Bozene and Boyazala. Bozene is a major town 20 kms west of Tandala where the army has set up one of its bases. Boyazala is a large village another 30 kms west of Bozene. This is still a long distance from the Dongo area but a good start.
The Catholic Missionary News Service MISNA reports that there are still 93,923 DR Congo refugees living in the Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville or ROC) with little inclination to return home. Many of these had fled in previous fighting episodes in 2005 and 2008 as well.
ReliefWeb reports on MONUC (UN peacekeeping force in Congo):
In Equateur, MONUC has established a significant presence to help Government forces protect civilians and respond to attacks by armed groups that surfaced with an inter-tribal dispute in Dongo in late October, displacing large numbers of people and threatening communities. MONUC has concentrated its support in the South Ubangi District and has its operations hub in Gemena. MONUC is providing transportation, rations, fuel, and has provided medical evacuation for 42 wounded FARDC soldiers. With the arrival shortly of Egyptian forces, there will be some 700 Blue Helmets in the district, including Tunisians and Guatemalans at Bozene and Ghanaians, Tunisians and Bangladeshi peacekeepers in Dongo. MONUC Civil Affairs and Human Rights sections have also deployed staff in the area.
Some recent RadioOkapi reports:
- In Mbandaka the police, the UN and the Army are now doing joint patrolling of the city each night from 10 PM to 5 AM. The purpose is to head off any spillover from the fighting at Dongo into the provincial capital. They have already arrested 2 of the Enyele fighters there.
- The Commissioner for the South Ubangi has been going around having public meetings trying to persuade people to return to their villages and homes. A pastor, Jean Bosco Vonga, (not stated what church affiliation he is) is quoted as saying that only when the army returns to their barracks will people be assured that peace is really established and will return.
- There is also a series of photos available of Dongo and the visit of the general there almost two weeks ago at http://www.radiookapi.net/index.php?i=77&ig=86&m=2
- Lambert Mende the official spokesman for the Congo government gave a Press Conference last week about the Dongo situation. He says that there is no evidence whatever for any other country being implicated in the fighting, no evidence for any politicians within Congo, and no evidence for any outside movements as suggested on certain websites. Contrary to other information, the number of veterans from former rebellions was insignificant. This is entirely the work of a witch doctor named Ibrahim and his 20 year old son, and some children under age 10 and other followers. Supposedly the 20 year old visited Impfondu in Congo Brazzaville but is now back with his father and they are completely encircled at Enyele by the army. However, the total reported dead is 187 civilians, including a large number of children killed against tree trunks (I’m not sure what this really means!). In addition 26 police and about 10 army including one captain were killed. More than 20 in the army were injured.
- Mende also commented on the recent Security Council decision to end the MONUC peacekeeping force in Congo. He says the government is appreciative of their role over the years but that they are no long needed and will begin leaving in April. The idea is that they be out of the country by the 50th anniversary of Congo’s independence on June 30, 2010.
We are thankful for help which has been coming in for this crisis. Much more is needed to help the hospital and to help the church care for the many who are destitute and have lost everything they had in the fighting.
Prayer Requests:
Continue to pray for peace in the Ubangi. Pray that the CECU will be able to be of real help to the many who have fled their villages. Pray that people will soon feel comfortable to return. Pray for the funds needed to help with this emergent need.
Pray for Kevin Kompelien, Jim Snyder and Denny Morrow who will be flying to Bangui on January 5 for a week of meetings with President Bosokpale and a number of other CECU leaders, both about the response to the war, but also about many other partnership projects and plans for the future.
According to this January 1 post, then, several of our friends are in Congo as we speak, meeting with the leadership there. Please pray for a safe and productive time for them. Thank you!
The goal of 1,000 sponsored orphans by January 1, 2010 was reached! Thank you for listening and responding to God. He tells us over and over in His Word that He loves, defends, and provides for the orphan. He asks us to do the same. That is what GlobalFingerprints is all about!
Many of you have prayed for the situation in the area of Congo where GlobalFingerprints operates. Thank God the fighting has stopped. However, life is far from normal there. As of last week, there are still 100,000 refugees that have crossed the border and are living in the neighboring country Congo Brazzaville. Pray that the Congolese Free Church could be a source of hope and life as the people return. 
Visit our website and check out the project for Valentine’s Day – “Love Kits” - for the orphans. (These can be done anytime, not just on Valentine’s Day.) There is a flyer and a PowerPoint under “Resources” at www.globalfingerprints.org . This is a great project for families and children! 
