09/17/2003

The stories are horrific.  This Catholic nun who runs a center for sick and malnourished children told the team, “[The rebels] came in 1999.  They tied me up and put a Kalashnikov to my neck.  They tied up the other sister and put her on top of me.  They took $100 we were going to use to buy drugs.  Down the street during this visit, shots were fired by an “Autodefense” force who are answerable only to themselves.  No one was killed this time, but the incident was a reminder that villagers will only be safe when these armed groups are disarmed and demobilized.