March (Web-only) 2002

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The U. S. Embassy in BogotÁ has warned Evangelical missionaries and churches in rural Colombia that they may be the targets of guerrilla attacks.

The warning follows the recent breakdown of peace talks between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

In a statement circulated to resident missionaries throughout Colombia, the embassy said, "The U.S. Government is aware of information that the guerrillas may be targeting members of North American religious missions outside the major cities at this time. We urge all heads of missionary organizations in Colombia to contact their personnel in the field and alert them to this threat."

Embassy personnel told missionary security offices in BogotÁ that the major cities referred to in the statement were BogotÁ, Medellin, Cali, and the north coast cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla.

Missionaries said that they considered this alert to be much stronger than normal embassy warnings. The first notice came March 4, in a late-night phone call from a representative of the embassy to missionary agencies. Veteran missionaries said that they could remember only one other time when embassy officials relayed a specific warning by phone after hours.

"The embassy security department wants Americans who may be working in rural areas to dramatically increase their state of awareness, and to rethink whether or not their presence in those areas is absolutely necessary," reported Jim McCauley of Wycliffe Bible Translators who also works with the BogotÁ Liaison Committee, an inter-mission task force that keeps watch on security issues.

"There was a lot of panic among the missionaries after the alert was issued," McCauley said. However, after lengthy conversations with embassy ...