Bible Society in Burundi seeks ways to provide Scriptures for victims of war

BUJUMBURA, Burundi; March 2001 — The Bible Society in Burundi (BSB) is seeking ways to carry out a special distribution of Scriptures to victims of the civil war.

“In collaboration with the Anglophone Africa Regional Service Center, we are trying to see if we can do something,” said Marjorie-Euphrasie Niyungeko, BSB Executive Secretary. “Our desire is to share God’s Word with those who are suffering because of war, poverty and disease. We ask for continued prayer that God will act and provide for his work.”

Government forces regained control of Bujumbura after a two-week offensive by Hutu rebels but fighting continues in other parts of the country. Many people who fled their homes in the northern suburbs, where the attack was concentrated, have been allowed to return. Some neighbourhoods, however, have been severely damaged.

A fresh round of peace talks, aimed at establishing the composition and timing of a transitional government, is under way in Tanzania. Two Hutu rebel groups, however, have refused to participate in the talks, and six political parties representing the country’s Tutsi minority have accused President Pierre Buyoya of planning to declare a state of emergency to delay the peace process.(WR 360/20 - 06.01) e-142