Despite recent unrest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaire, Southern Baptist missionaries still hope to enter the country for the first time since 1992.
DRC President Laurent Kabila was assassinated Jan. 16 by one of his own bodyguards. With all modes of transport in and out of the country shut down and a government in turmoil, International Mission Board missionaries Rusty and Debbie Pugh and Michael Hamline were not sure if they would ever move from their home in Nairobi, Kenya to Kinshasa.
The three missionaries originally planned to enter the country and start their ministry Jan. 25. Now plans are on hold in hopes that the country settles down even more.
Even if the government stabilizes soon, there is still a chance that fighting between government troops and rebel soldiers will force missionaries to evacuate the country. Many missionaries living in the interior have moved to the capital city, Kinshasa, or to bordering countries to escape the violence, which has dominated life in the country since 1996. The IMB officially pulled out of the country in 1992. (BP)
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