Four church workers in Sierra Leone have
been released unharmed by militiamen after being kidnapped at gunpoint
and held for 10 days. During a terrifying ordeal their captors threatened
the four with execution and boasted of past atrocities committed against
civilians.
"I believe God heard the pleas
of many people around the world who were praying for our release,"
said Walter Carew (43), of the Christian Health Association of Sierra Leone,
a Tearfund partner agency.
With three colleagues he had been travelling by road from the capital Freetown to the south of the country on July 21. Ironically, they were due to conduct a series of week-long peace and reconciliation seminars, supported by Tearfund. The seminars are part of the country's search for stability after years of vicious civil war.
Forty miles from Freetown the group's vehicle was halted at a roadblock set up by the West Side Boys, a militia group comprising soldiers from the former military junta. Walter and his colleagues, Alfred Sesay, Betty Sam and Aki John, had their vehicle commandeered and their valuables stolen. Then they then were taken seven miles into the bush to the militia's base.
"I kept asking the soldiers what we had done wrong, but no-one would answer us," recalls Walter, who is back at work after a brief recovery in hospital and at home. "One of the men was very ruthless and made several threats to execute us. I whispered to the rest of the team to keep praying."
The four were told they had been kidnapped because the West Side Boys feared an attack by the Sierra Leone government. They were required to be witnesses. The next day a helicopter gun ship did drop several bombs in the area, but no-one was hurt. Meanwhile, Betty Sam was separated from the men, who were imprisoned in a hut and guarded by two young armed soldiers.
Walter recalled one of the worst moments: "At one point Aki asked to go to the toilet. While he was outside we heard a loud gun shot. We thought they had killed him, but he was brought back minutes later by one of the soldiers. The soldier was laughing and had only fired the gun to scare Aki."
During their days in captivity the four received adequate food and water and were permitted to move around the base under close guard. Their treatment improved further when one of the guards recognised Walter as having taught him at school. "He became more civil towards us and because of him the other soldier stopped trying to scare us."
Even so the three men were concerned about the safety of their colleague Betty Sam and frightened by their captors' boasts of atrocities committed during the rebel advance on Freetown in January 1999.
"You cannot predict what these guys will do," said Walter. "Some people they have captured in the past have been killed".
After 10 days a West Side Boys 'brigadier' appeared at the base. He met the four and decided they should be released that day. The three men then were reunited with Betty Sam, who had been well treated. The hostages were then taken back to the checkpoint where their ordeal had begun 10 days before, and left to hitch a ride to the nearest town. Only then, they say, came the tears of relief.
"We are so happy and grateful to God," said Walter. "But we have seen at close hand just how desperate is the need for reconciliation in our divided country. Before any form of development can take place in Sierra Leone people need to come together again. Fighters like those who captured us will have to be re-integrated into the community."
For further information contact Keith Ewing, Senior Media Officer, 00 44 20 8977 6061.