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Four Arauca Churches Closed, Members Displaced
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, on February 2 ordered closure of four churches in the United Pentecostal World Missionary Movement and displaced their approximately 80 members. These churches were located in the villages of Pueblo Seco and Alto Cauca in the department (or state) of Arauca. The Christians, together with other residents of this region, received the guerrilla dictum demanding that they leave the area immediately because an attack on the two villages was imminent.
According to the Colombian newsmagazine Cambio, Arauca pastors are FARC military objectives, thus targeted as candidates for assassination. These illegal armed groups have banned Bible meetings and the free movement of pastors.
Despite these restrictions, 10 churches have re-opened in areas of Arauca where the Colombian army has a presence. But such meetings in defiance of the guerrillas’ orders risk severe reprisals. The meetings have been held with much caution and little noise.
Two guerrilla groups, the FARC and the National Liberation Army, or ELN, are battling for control of the Colombian departments of Arauca, Cauca and Nariño. In less than two years, the conflict-related death toll in the embattled area has risen to 280.
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