Bible translator killed in Central African Republic

By Mark Ellis
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- A Bible translator in war-ravaged Central African Republic (CAR) was shot and killed this week as he attempted to escape mounting violence in Bangui, according to Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Elisee Zama

Elisée Zama, who served as a translator with ACATBA, Wycliffe's partner organization in the CAR, was shot as he was transporting family members to the relative safety of a hospital compound.

Violence began intensifying in CAR following a coup in March 2013. Many humanitarian organizations have withdrawn from the country or cut back services and government health clinics have largely been abandoned.

"Reprisals against Christians in particular in Bangui are of great concern," said Larry Robbins with SIL, a Wycliffe partner in CAR.

"There have been . . . reprisals in certain neighborhoods of Bangui, resulting in thousands seeking refuge on the airstrip of the international airport," he said.

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