CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (November 20, 2002) - Missionaries from the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) and two other denominations are on the move, leaving mission stations generally located in the western part of the country as tensions mount in the face of continued military activity.

Missionaries left Bangui earlier in the week (see story dated November 17 elsewhere in the Covenant news report) to move up country and to safer environs. As rebel and government forces continue their military struggle, it was determined that a move to safer territory was warranted.

"There is more rebel activity in the central part of the country," Pete Ekstrand said this morning. Ekstrand and his wife are regional coordinators for Africa in the ECC's Department of World Mission. "The activity is getting closer to stations where we have missionaries. Everyone is safe at this point, but we decided it is time to move to even safer places." Covenant missionaries are part of a larger group of individuals leaving the region, including members of the Evangelical Free Church and Grace Brethren.

"This move is part of an evacuation plan developed well in advance," said John Notehelfer, interim executive minister of the Department of World Mission. "This represents a purely defensive move - we wanted to be ahead of the wave," Notehelfer said in reference to the continued violence.

Covenant missionaries involved in the move include:

• Ken Satterberg, who is moving to an area in the western region of the Central African Republic (CAR) that is closer to the border
• Paul and Sheryl Noren and son, Erik, who left the Bata station last Saturday (Bata was only 60 miles west of some of the military action) and moved to Gamboula near the western CAR border with Cameroon
• Mary Samuelson, who has been teaching and has also moved with the Norens to Gamboula
• Ron and Janet Ziegelbaur and family, who currently are at Yaloke but will travel tomorrow to a far-western region in CAR
• Karen Benson, who will travel with the Ziegelbaurs
• Bob and Karen Andrews, who at last report were in the Bouar area in western CAR, but are expected to move further west to the border area