WORST ATTACK ON CHRISTIANS IN POSO SINCE PEACE AGREEMENT

INDONESIA

7 August 2002

At least seven people were shot and wounded and four others are missing after an attack on Christians in the village of Matako near Poso in Central Sulawesi in the early hours of Sunday 4 August. Two churches and twenty-seven houses were also burnt down in the worst violence against Christians in the Poso region since the signing of a peace agreement at the end of last year.

One report from a local Christian paints a vivid picture: “The attack began at 3.30 am with cries of ‘Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!’ as the sleepy night burst into a blaze of fire, bullets and bombs. The attack came from two directions. Some of the jihad terrorists entered through the middle of the village having come down jungle pathways from the mountains while others landed on the beach in speedboats. The attack force was estimated to be between 80-100 men.” There have also been reports of attacks on Christians in two other villages in the Poso area. As a result over 2000 people have fled their homes, fearing further violence, and have been evacuated to Tentena. Many had returned to their villages to rebuild their homes and work their fields after being displaced during earlier violence. They have now been displaced once again, placing a great strain on churches and relief agencies that are seeking to help them.

There have been a series of minor incidents in the Poso area that have produced a climate of fear and uncertainty among the Christians there. To give some examples: There have been a number of bomb explosions in the town of Poso itself. On 22 July three Christians were shot and wounded near the village of Mayoa, south of Tentena. Two family members on their way to visit the victims of this attack were themselves attacked by a large group of Muslims and severely injured. A bus carrying Christians from Tentena to Palu was shot at in the Toini-Masdni area west of Poso. There were reports of masked men carrying machine guns entering the Christian village of Silanca on 2 August.

Violent incidents are occurring elsewhere. A bomb exploded in a Christian district of Ambon city, the capital of Maluku, on 27 July. Over fifty people were injured, and one man later died from his wounds. A week later sixteen homemade bombs were found at a school on Ambon Island. There has been more violence against Christians near Tobelo, a Christian centre on Halmahera Island, North Maluku. There have been clashes in the villages of Gorua and Wari with the result that many have fled to Tobelo and elsewhere.

Although the peace agreements signed for Central Sulawesi in December 2001 and for the Malukus in February 2002 have reduced the level of violence against Christians, many Christians fear a re-escalation of the violence. The failure of the Indonesian authorities either to expel or to systematically disarm the extremist Islamic group Laskar Jihad gives credence to the fears that the Christians have. One Christian observer in Poso is quoted as saying after the latest attacks, “How many more Christian villages have to be razed to the ground, and how many more Christians have to be shot and killed before the government cracks down on these terrorists who with impunity raid, attack and terrorize these innocent communities?”

PRAY

Pray for those Christians who were wounded in the attack on Matako. Pray that they will recover from their wounds. Pray too that the four missing people will be found safe and well.

Pray that Christians throughout Central Sulawesi and the Malukus will be protected from attacks by Muslim extremists. Pray that those who have fled will soon be able to return to their homes in safety.

Pray that the Indonesian military and civil authorities will take firm action to deter attacks on Christians and act decisively against those carrying out such attacks.

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