Mourning at the EELRCA

16 dead after rebel attack

On the evening of 3 April, we received the sad and shocking news from the church president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic (EELRCA) that 16 believers from the church congregation in Bohong were murdered by rebels on 2 April.

The church president, Pastor J. Ngoe, writes:

"I hope you spent Easter well under God's blessings. My wife and I were invited to celebrate the festival in a church in Bohong. We were there from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. It was a joy to be with the brothers and sisters in Christ. On Tuesday, rebels came to kill 16 people. All of them were believers from our church community. The EELRCA and the village of Bohong are in great mourning. On Wednesday morning, people went to the scene and found these 16 bodies in a terrible condition. The dead were buried in mass graves. The victims were camping there to do field work. We are deeply saddened and share this sad news."

We at the ELM express our deepest sympathy to the relatives, the brothers and sisters of our partner church and all the mourners in Bohong. We are saddened and saddened that people in our partner church have to live through violence, death and pain, especially in connection with Easter, the festival of hope and joy. We pray that the God of all peace may grant them his peace. May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds because we are united with Jesus Christ (according to Phil. 4:7).

Directorate, management and all employees of the ELM