David Emmanuel, a factory worker told Reuters he saw two truckloads of
corpses on Wednesday night, and he counted at least 30 bodies in the
street. Elsewhere, correspondents have seen 35 mostly burned and
mutilated bodies.

The official police tally of 30 that remains more or less static from
Wednesday night is belied by the overflowing morgue and the constant
stream of eye-witness reports from all quarters of the city. Bodies
were being discovered on Thursday and because the main hospital
mortuary was full were taken to undisclosed locations, according to
the Red Cross. "Not all cases are reported, especially cases in which
relatives have already buried their dead," said Aminu Inua, a Red
Cross official in Kano.

"Hundreds of people were killed," said Christian leader Mark Amani.
"Some corpses were burned in wells. Even little children were killed.
The bodies of pregnant women were ripped open and their bodies
burned," he said.

Sources report the killing of several hundred people when defiant mobs
of Muslim youths armed with clubs and machetes and cutlasses rampaged
at about 1 a.m. on Thursday despite a police imposed curfew. Mobs went
from house to house looking for Christian victims and in some cases
trapped the occupants inside and torched the houses. Police have been
issued orders to shoot armed rioters on sight. While Muslims have
complained that the police have killed innocent civilians as a result,
they do not mean the scores of hacked bodies that lie in the streets
and in charred buildings and vehicles according to residents.

There are fears that the number of deaths may continue to grow since
an order was circulated by Umar Ibrahim Kabo, the most senior Mulim
cleric in Kano, for all Christians to leave the area by today, Friday
14 May. More than 30,000 residents, mostly Christians, have been
driven from their homes in Kano officials said on Thursday, a figure
confirmed by Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon in a telephone
conversation with Barnabas Fund.

Barnabas fund wishes to announce an urgent appeal to support the
survivors, those displaced from their homes and the families of
Christian victims in Kano. You can make a donation to help the
pastors, their families and their churches through a Barnabas Fund
office or via our website donation page
http://www.barnabasfund.org/donations.htm - Remember to specify
Project 39-500.

At least 269 people have been killed in brutal violence between Muslim
Hasua/Fulani and Christian Tarok fighters in Plateau State since
February. The latest round of violence was sparked by a clash between
Muslims and Christians in the village of Mavo in Wase District in
mid-February, in which some 10 people were killed. Several days later
on 19 February four police officers were killed in Tunga village,
Langtang North District, by Islamic militants seeking revenge.

The town of Yelwa in Shendam District first saw violence on 24
February when Fulani Muslim fighters struck again, massacring some 48
Christians who fled to a church in a vain attempt to find refuge.
Some reports suggest as many as 50 more may also have been killed, and
over 100 Christians fled the town. Two days later Christians turned
on their Muslim neighbours in the nearby town of Gerkawa, Mikang Local
Government Area, killing 40 - 50 in retaliation for the massacre in
Yelwa. Army units evacuated some 3000 Muslims from Gerkawa,
relocating them to Yelwa and further strengthening the Muslim
dominance of the town.

Tensions remained high in the region throughout March and April and
exploded again into major violence in several villages in the border
region of Plateau and Taraba States in late April when an estimated
100 people were tragically killed. The latest attack which has
enraged Muslims across the country occurred in the aftermath of this
violence, as on the weekend of 1 - 2 May Christian fighters attempted
to retake Yelwa. (The town is now widely reported in the
international media as a "mainly Muslim town" with no reference to the
fact that this is only as a result of the massacre and driving out of
Christians in February.) The deaths of 67 people have been confirmed
in this latest bloody clash, with some estimating the total death toll
at 200, 350 or even 630 people tragically slain.

In addition to those killed, hundreds have been injured and at least
7,500 have been internally displaced because of the violence over the
past three months. Thousands of homes and several churches and
mosques have been burnt to the ground. Some reports indicate women
and children have been kidnapped. Other minor clashes have also taken
place.

PRAY

* Pray for the families of the victims and the survivors of the
attacks in Kano; pray that the Lord will heal them and mend this
devastation in their lives.

* Pray that the government of Nigeria will have the strength to act
justly and decisively in this situation and in the tensions felt
throughout Nigeria; pray that further atrocities will be prevented.

MUSLIM CLERIC HELPS CRITICALLY ILL PASTOR TO RECEIVE TREATMENT

INDONESIA

14 May 2004

An Indonesian church leader wrongly convicted of possession of
firearms and imprisoned in Palu, Sulawesi, has been allowed to go to
Jakarta for medical treatment due to the intervention of a Muslim
cleric.

Rinaldy Damanik was wrongly convicted of possession of firearms on 16
June 2003. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment, due to end in
September 2005. Rinaldy was a signatory of the Malino peace agreement
in December 2001 and has worked hard to end the violence. He has also
been an outspoken critic of the police's handling of the
anti-Christian violence, which many feel to be the real reason for his
arrest.

On 12 April 2004 he became extremely ill, frequently collapsing with a
high fever. He had a stone in his urethra and was in urgent need of
ultrasound treatment which could not be carried out in the provincial
hospital. He was in constant acute pain and in and out of
consciousness.

At first, the authorities would not let him leave Palu for the
necessary treatment. Pastor Damanik's legal advocates tried on several
occasions to convince officials to allow his temporary hospitalisation
in Jakarta to no avail. However, after the amazing and unexpected
intervention of a senior Muslim cleric, officials finally let him and
his entourage travel to Jakarta on Tuesday 4 May, accompanied by two
prison guards and two policemen.

Some months ago, the cleric had a vision during prayer that he was to
visit Rinaldy in prison. Since then, Ustadz Idrus Alhabsy, who
appealed on Damanik's behalf, has been impressed by Rinaldy's life and
words. Recently, he became infuriated when he read in the newspapers
about how Rinaldy was being treated and how he would die if he did not
receive medical treatment. Alhabsy showed great compassion and courage
of conviction when he went to the prison on 4 May and confronted the
authorities, tearfully pleading for Damanik's release. This dramatic
turn of events was very welcome. Very quickly, approval was given for
Rinaldy to fly to Jakarta the next day, 5 May, for specialised
treatment.

Upon arrival in Jakarta, it was discovered that the stone in his
urethra had miraculously dissolved without the need for an operation,
though it caused a large scratch. He is still in some pain and will be
treated further in Palu, due to stones in his kidneys and a possible
Hepatitis B infection.

Rinaldy Damanik's supporters have to raise the funds required for
travel to and from Jakarta and for any hospital treatment that he
receives there. Barnabas Fund has been able to be of service by
allocating some funds for this purpose.
END