wfn.org | Sierra Leone bishops are safe, in hiding

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Jan. 26, 1999	Contact: Linda Bloom*(212) 870-3803*New York
10-21-31-71B{042}

By United Methodist News Service

Bishops of two Methodist denominations in Sierra Leone are reported to be in
hiding following the fighting which has caused significant destruction and
danger in the capital of Freetown.

The Rev. Joseph Wagner of Indiana received word Jan. 25 that United
Methodist Bishop Joseph Humper was safe in an undisclosed location. Bishop
J.O. Moshopeh Pratt, leader of the West African Methodist Church, also is in
hiding, according to his daughter, Joya Pratt, who lives in Maryland.

The situation in Freetown is still extremely dangerous. Pratt learned on
Jan. 26 that a couple of relatives had been burned alive in their house in
the Kissy area of Freetown. Her father's home, the church mission house and
a church her father was pastoring also were burned.

The Rev. Randolph Nugent, general secretary, United Methodist Board of
Global Ministries, called on Methodists to pray for peace in Sierra Leone.
"We give thanks to God for Bishop Humper's safety, for the safety of our
church members and for the safety of all the Sierra Leoneans who have
survived the violence there," he said.

In the latest round of the sporadic civil war that has plagued the country
for nearly a decade, rebels invaded the city on Jan. 6. They battled on the
street for a week with ECOMOG, the West African defense force, before
retreating to the surrounding mountains. According to the Jan. 26 edition of
the New York Times, the rebels shot dead thousands of civilians and
mutilated hundreds of others as they fled.

Amnesty International, in a Jan. 22 press release, said it had received
numerous reports of atrocities suffered by civilians during the recent
fighting. On Jan. 18, for example, rebel forces reportedly abducted 12
people from a mosque and either killed them or amputated their limbs.
"Dozens of people with amputated limbs are now arriving in the center of
Freetown," the release stated.

The New York Times report also confirmed the mutilations, particularly the
chopping off of hands. By the weekend of Jan. 23-24, staff at Connaught
Hospital, Freetown's main medical center, had recorded 2,768 dead and
performed numerous amputations of injured limbs.

Amnesty International said the rebels had lists of people to be targeted for
death, including members of the National Commission for Democracy and Human
Rights, along with lawyers and journalists.

Pratt said the rebels have targeted church people because they supported the
democratic election of the current president and because "the churches are
the people's last hope."

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Freetown and seven priests and six nuns who
are foreign nationals were abducted from Kissy. Their fate remains unknown,
according to Amnesty International.

Despite the danger, the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone has started
distributing food and shelter materials in parts of the city. Along with the
United Nations' World Food Programme, Action By Churches Together (ACT) is
providing emergency supplies. The United Methodist Committee on Relief
(UMCOR) is a part of the ACT network.

ACT reported that fighting, looting and arson had destroyed more than one in
every 10 houses in Freetown. Approximately 30,000 to 50,000 civilians have
taken refugee in the national stadium, while others have moved to schools
and churches.

Donations for the relief effort in Sierra Leone can be designated to UMCOR
Advance No. 181205-1, Sierra Leone emergency relief. Checks can be dropped
in church collection plates or mailed to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room
330, New York, NY 10115.
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