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Last September, warfare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo erupted in a massacre at Nyankunde, a small town 25 miles southwest of Bunia. Witnesses said 7,000 militiamen from the Ngiti tribe attacked the Evangelical Medical Center, killing more than 1,000 people. Christian Congolese and missionary staff led about 900 patients on a one-week, 100-mile trek to safety.

An estimated 3.5 million people have died in the civil war that began five years ago. It is a fight between various ethnic and outside groups for control of the country's rich natural resources. In June the United Nations agreed to send a 1,400-member peacekeeping force to help quell a string of recent massacres near Bunia.

Africa Inland Mission (AIM), an evangelical agency based in Pearl River, New York, has appointed nurse Chris Hamilton to coordinate relief efforts in northeast Congo. Based in Tanzania, Hamilton and her husband, a pilot, travel there twice monthly. Ken Walker interviewed her.

What happened to the hospital and refugees?

Nobody can go back to Nyankunde. There are land mines laid around the mission and hospital perimeter. Looters are going back to take off the roofing materials. We set up a camp for refuges at Oicha mission (about 100 miles away) with the help of Samaritan's Purse. Many are workers from the center at Nyankunde. Some have joined the staff at the Oicha hospital; others are working in a nearby town.

However, in mid-May, the (Ngiti and Hemas) went at it again in Bunia. At least 200,000 people fled and are looking for refuge. As of June 1, we were active with 15 internally-displaced people's camps. We are also supporting the national church's effort to meet needs.

How has this situation affected Christians?

Persecution builds the church but it's not pleasant. But when I go about the camps, Christians tell me, "God is enough. He knows what He's doing." The church has risen to the occasion and is providing room for people to sleep in their schools and churches, and support so people can find other refugee sites.

It is also responding through development and crisis committees that find land, register refugees, distribute emergency supplies, help set up camps and watch out for people's general welfare. Medical people teach health care, collect water, and distribute supplies. The church has also set up evangelistic teams. The most overwhelming thing for me is to watch Christians in impoverished states continue to share everything they have with those who have lost everything.

Are missionaries there in danger?

Most have left. Those who remain are not in grave danger, although nothing is totally secure and isolated incidents continue to occur. In late May we did an amazing, six-day evacuation of 1,448 people—a joint effort of AIM Air and the Missionary Aviation Fellowship. They were in some danger. However, we operated with as much security as possible and God blessed those efforts.

News reports cite widespread looting, brutality and anarchy, with more than three million deaths since 1998. Why are things in this condition?

Those reports are accurate. There several reasons. One is that Africa is viewed as a dark hole. It has taken a lot to raise the international community's awareness, which has been one of our goals. A major problem is that there are a lot of personal interests behind this war. Northeast Congo is very wealthy. It has gold, coltan (a valuable ore used in cell phones), mahogany, and oil. Major corporations and neighboring countries are interested in these resources.

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July (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47