2 of 2

There are, however, reports of increased vocal opposition by Muslim preachers. "There has been an ongoing conflict as the Muslims who are the majority have been opposed to any activities by other religious denominations and we suspect some extremists in the community targeted them," Yumbe police commander Okot Ayaa told the AFP news service.

Local police have arrested one man, Alima Amin, who fit the description of the attackers. The man is reportedly a member of a local militia. The militias were formed in villages to prevent attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army. The area, which is 90 percent Muslim, has not recently seen religiously motivated conflict. Gazan said the local religion is folk Islamic, a mix of Islam and local religious traditions. Missionaries use caution, he said, but do not expect violent opposition to their presence.

However, The EastAfrican is reporting that the area may be ripe for ethnic conflict. The Uganda Joint Christian Council is working with the government to prevent the possibility of local militias attacking other tribal villages. The UJCC warns that without intervention, the area may repeat the type of genocide seen in Rwanda in 1994.

Three years ago, two AIM missionaries in the same region of Uganda were shot during a robbery. Both men are now living in the United States. AIM has had missionaries in the country since 1917, when it was under British control.

Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin will be conducting memorial services for the couple. They are survived bythree adult children.

According to Operation World, the eastern African country enjoys religious freedom after severe persecution under the dictatorship of Idi Amin. Since 1986, Uganda has experienced relative stability and democracy, though the Lord's Resistance Army continues to terrorize northern parts of the country. Uganda is 89 percent Christian. Though AIDS is still a major problem in the country, Uganda is one of the only African countries to successfully fight the disease, due to the help of religious groups.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Other articles include:

American Couple Murdered in Yumbe | AN American missionary couple and a technical school student were killed at their home in Yumbe on Thursday night. (New Vision, Kampala)

American Missionaries Killed in Yumbe | Police and the army could not immediately say who was responsible for the murders (The Monitor, Kampala)

Danger finally caught the Petts | Surely Warren and Donna Pett knew of the danger. No sooner had they given up their serene dairy farm in the Town of Mukwonago to become missionaries in Africa in 1997 when danger undercut their first assignment. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Uganda police detain man in slayings of Wisconsin missionaries and student | Police have detained a member of a local defense force in the killing of two American missionaries and a Ugandan student in northwestern Uganda, a senior police official said Sunday. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Waukesha County missionary couple robbed, shot to death in Uganda | Motive unclear; pair had sold Town of Mukwonago dairy farm to pursue their calling (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Local missionaries gunned down in Uganda | Couple left farm fields for the African mission fields (Waukesha [Wisconsin] Freeman)

Uganda 'Could Slide into Genocide' | Pointing At the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 and the chaos that engulfed Somalia following the collapse of the government in 1991, the church and legislators in Uganda have warned that the current situation in the north and east of the country seems to be headed the same way. (The EastAfrican)

More from Uganda includes:

Ebola Outbreak Leads to Suspension of Church Services | Panic and terror spread like virus as infections and deaths increase. (Oct. 20, 2000)

Innocence Stolen | A paramilitary group in Uganda is abducting younger children to fill its ranks. Those who manage to escape are plagued with haunting memories. (July 13, 2000)

Under Suspicion | Following cultic deaths of 900, independent Christian groups in Uganda come under a cloud of mistrust and fear. (May 03, 2000)

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

March (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48