Christians caught in crossfire in ethnic strife in Assam

Guwahati – In the recent spate of ethnic violence that has broken out in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, a 15–year–old member of the Gospel for Asia’s Believers Church has been reported to be killed.

According to Mission News Network (MNN), Vidya Singh and one of his friends were returning to their recently destroyed village to recover some food when they were ambushed and shot.

Gospel for Asia's founder–president, Dr. KP Yohannan expressed his concerns over the outbreak of violence, saying that Christians were being affected the most. "People take advantage of this kind of opportunity to actually go after believers who have left their tribal customs," he said.

According to Dr. Yohannan, there are a large number of believers among the tribal communities and a Bible college has been also set up for them. But, the brutal murders of some of the believers are beginning to concern him.

However, expressing optimism, Dr. Yohannan said that the GFA Bible college students and missionaries, who converted from the tribal customs, are sharing the Gospel with the needy and attempting to bring down the violence. "[They are saying] Your tribal practices and all this is only destroying you,” he said, adding that this presents an opportunity for many of the believers to witness to their neighbors and relatives and people about Christ.

Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, that has witnessed the most violent ethnic clashes in the past few months, is on its way back to normalcy, thanks to the efforts of the local government and some Christian and other voluntary organizations.

The conflict that broke out between the Karbi and the Dimasa tribes in the recent past has, in its wake, left over 150 dead and several thousands homeless.