CONTACT: Linda Bloom
New York
(212) 870-3803
NEW YORK (UMNS) -- Two United Methodist missionaries were detained by military personnel in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the former Zaire, but have been released.
The Rev. Randolph Nugent, general secretary, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, said the detention occurred when Laura and Larry Hills attempted to leave the town of Kilwa for Lubumbashi. They are now expected to arrive in Lubumbashi on July 3 or soon after.
In a July 1 letter to board directors, Nugent reported that the Hills' vehicle had been confiscated by military personnel, who also detained some members of the United Methodist church in Kilwa. After their release, the couple's movements were "severely restricted" and they were prohibited from leaving the region.
Consultations were made with United Methodist bishops in the area and U.S. State Department officials to help obtain permission for the couple to leave Kilwa.
Because of the unrest in the former Zaire, the Hills and other missionaries had been waiting in Zambia until board officials approved a return to their places of assignment. "The Hills returned prematurely to Kilwa where unrest and tensions have been evident," Nugent said.
Nugent noted that a delegation from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights is presently in Congo attempting to investigate sites where soldiers have been accused of killing refugees.
On July 1, U.N. officials said the new government of President Laurent Kabila is blocking that investigation. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates more than 200,000 Rwandan Hutu refugees remain unaccounted for in the former Zaire.
The lack of cooperation by the new Congo government, according to Nugent, "further documents the instability of the political situation that warrants continued monitoring for human rights violations and maintaining missionary personnel in secure areas."
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New York, and Washington.
July 2, 1997
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