elections, telling his followers
to boycott the process because he thought it would be a sham as
it has been in the past. But when outside donors put up the over
100 million dollars to insure voter registration, he decided to
declare his candidacy. This happened well after all deadlines
had passed, including the printing of the ballots. His camp demanded
that the election be delayed and the rules of registration be
changed to permit his participation, but it was too late.
The fact that Kabila, who will likely win the run-off vote, does
not have support in Kinshasa together with the fact that people
feel that foreigners are to blame for Tshisekedi’s exclusion
have created a potentially violent situation. Some feel that after
the run-off vote, foreigners may be targeted. Our Congolese partners
have advised us not to return until after this is well settled.
The American School will be closing until the end of November,
and all foreign students and staff have been required to leave
the country. We will continue to follow the news and work with
the staff of PC(USA) to determine our date of return and will
keep all of you informed as well.
We thank you for your continued support, which you have shared
with us personally during Mike’s months in treatment and
during our more recent visits to many of your churches.
Our love,
Mike and Nancy
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
317 |
