Rioting in Cameroon

I want to start off by saying that my teammates and other members of World Team are currently safe, most of them in their homes. However, Nathan Conrod is in the Capital city of Yaounde, working on the logistics of getting his truck fixed and is unable to safely travel back to the bush due to road blocks set up by rioters. Nathan's family, their tutor Karla, and the Abbotts are all safe at home in the bush, where there is currently no rioting. Read on for more details from Nathan.

Greetings from Cameroon! I’m here in the capital city of Yaoundé and since I happen to have some extra time on my hands today (since I’ve been advised not to venture out) I thought I’d send out a news brief to let you all know what’s happening in our neck of the world. There have been some riot outbreaks here in Cameroon over the past few days. At first it seemed that it was only a strike held by the taxi drivers because of the recent jump in fuel prices. However, it is now clear that there has been tension growing under the surface against the current president, Paul Biya, and his government and the taxi strike seems to have been a small break in a much larger dam. Well, the dam is breaking and nobody knows what’s next. I’ve included a partial e-mail that the US Embassy sent out to US citizens living in Cameroon.

The following is a message from the American Citizen Services unit at the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé.
Due to continued violence in Douala and increasing outbreaks of violence in the Littoral, South West, West and North West provinces of Cameroon, American citizens in those provinces are advised to remain in their residences for the next twenty-four hours. Americans in other parts of Cameroon are encouraged to limit their travel and be alert to potential hazards. Travel between urban areas should be avoided, as roadblocks have been erected without notice by both demonstrators and petty criminals on many of the major thoroughfares of Cameroon. Food, fuel and water are increasingly scarce, not only in Douala but in other cities where expectation of shortage has sparked a run on gasoline.

Please pray for Nathan's safety, the safety of some other missionaries that live near the areas of rioting, and a peaceful end to this unrest.