MAF Staff Safe after Violence Subsides in Chad

N'Djamena, Chad :: February 12, 2008—Mission Aviation Fellowship staff members are now safe after several families were forced to evacuate from Chad to Cameroon last Friday, John Woodberry, the ministry’s disaster response manager, said today.

Some MAF families have returned to their home countries at this time, said Mike Riley, the MAF country director for Chad.  Several MAF Chadian staff members are safe at the MAF hangar in N’Djamena, Chad.

“This is real news for praise. We had not heard from them since our departure from Chad,” he said.

He said the only damage to the MAF compound is minor damage to the roof of his house.

Riley added that the bank used by MAF is closed, so “the priority now is to try to get some money to our staff by other means, because the cost of living has increased dramatically” since the outbreak of violence.

As to what comes next, Riley said the MAF Grand Caravan aircraft will be sent to east Africa for maintenance. Other decisions on how to proceed with the MAF mission will be made in the next few days.

John Boyd, MAF-US president, issued a “call to prayer” for the safety and protection of MAF staff members associated with Chad, along with prayers for the Chadian people and a peaceful settlement to the conflict there.

Chad President Idriss Deby Itno issued a “solemn call” Thursday for a planned European Union (EU) peacekeeping force to deploy immediately to his country to ease pressure on his forces after days of fighting left hundreds dead in the Central African nation.

The EU force’s mission is to protect refugees from Sudan’s Darfur region bordering Chad and also civilians displaced by fighting in Chad.

Rebel leaders advanced on Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, last Saturday, causing thousands to flee.  Following two days of heavy fighting, the government claims it has driven the rebels out.  However, rebel spokesman Abderamane Koullamalah said rebel forces made a tactical withdrawal from the capital to meet up with reinforcements coming from the east with fresh ammunition and supplies.

Two MAF families departed Cameroon on Sunday for the United Kingdom. MAF pilot Mark Liprini and engineer Garth Moffatt stayed behind in Cameroon with an 11-passenger aircraft to assist with evacuation flights. They received so many requests for help that they set up an evacuation post in northern Cameroon, 200 kilometers from N’Djamena. Two days ago they rescued 11 young Australians and Germans.

“Obtaining reliable information was extremely hard,” Liprini said concerning the past few days. “All cell phone and landline communication networks had been down since the weekend.”

The MAF team slept in its hangar at the N’Djamena Airport on Thursday, Jan. 31, as reports indicated the rebels were very close to N’Djamena and planning an attack. On Friday, Feb. 1, the situation appeared to calm, and the families returned to their homes on the MAF compound, according to Riley.

“Suddenly it flared up again,” Riley said. “And violently!  One of the staff rushed to the compound and informed us that we had to evacuate immediately.

“The families grabbed a few items and made their way through the streets of N’Djamena back to the hangar. Heavily armed soldiers were everywhere, and blockades were going up. Things were unbelievably scary,” he said.

Within an hour, the MAF team was airborne for Garoua, Cameroon. By Saturday morning, it became clear that it would be too dangerous to return to Chad. N’Djamena Airport was closed to civilian flights, and intense fighting was occurring around the airport and in many parts of the city.

“Yet despite all this, the Lord’s presence and comfort have kept the team in good spirits, and a sense of calm has been present,” Riley said. “There is already talk by some of the team members that they want to return to Chad to complete the work God has called them to do.”