Kabila's Rebel Army (1997)

Excerpt from the draft of “Apostle to the Pygmies – The Doctor Jerry Galloway Story”

On April 27, I heard Kabila's rebel army was north of Pendjua and headed toward Mbandaka. For now, there was peace here. Each mission used their ham radios for one hour, three times a day, to keep informed of the Zairian soldiers' whereabouts. Many were armed, and they pillaged missions and villages when they passed through.

While I was in Kiri, the Sisters in Pendjua said a soldier came to the mission with two high caliber rifles. He arrived on a bicycle and claimed others were following him. He asked for food and lodging and directions to Kiri. Father Daniel gave him one million Zaires (five dollars), and the soldier stayed at the chief's house. Everyone panicked, and the local storekeepers closed their shops and fled into the forest.

I left Kiri on Wednesday at noon and never saw the soldier. When I arrived at the mission, all was calm. We were fortunate the soldiers were not on the main route from Kinshasa. At a mission, one hundred kilometers to the southeast, three groups of soldiers arrived this week. The Sisters evacuated that location. I hoped the war would end soon, as our medication stocks were low. The procure was afraid to send the barge from Kinshasa. There were at least 400 cartons of medicine that had not shipped.