Local Bible translators in Cameroon have been forced to flee from their homes due to the violent conflicts that have been troubling the Central African country for months.
According to Mission Network News, violence broke out in the western part of the country following disputes between French-speaking state forces and English speaking separatists.
One local Bible translator had to flee from his home after it was attacked by several men riding in a white vehicle.
"Bullets were flying out of the car towards me. But by the power of God, I was able to escape all the bullets and none of the bullets hit me and I escaped. I ran and hid far away in the bushes," the unnamed translator said, according to Mission Network News.
He said that the men got out of the vehicle and started to cause damage to his house.
"They knocked down the windows and doors. They knocked down everything and set fire on the house. The house is completely burnt and nothing is left. I thank God because before they came, my family was already out of the house. My wife, my mother, and children were out of the house," he added.
The translator said that all his documents except his ID card were burnt in the fire. He said that he and his family are now trying to survive in the bush, where they are constantly being bitten by mosquitoes.
Mission Network News reported that at least 160,000 people have been displaced in the violence. Wycliffe Associates, a ministry dedicated to translating the Bible in different languages, is trying to find some of the translators who have gone missing due to the conflict.
Bruce Smith, of Wycliffe Associates, expressed concern about the plight of Cameroonians as well as the progress of its Bible translation projects.
"We're trying, first of all, to secure the people's safety, the translators that are part of the teams that have been driven out of their homes. Most of them have lost their fields, they have lost their herds, their animals, things like that as well as their physical homes," he said.
Smith said that the translators would probably need counseling before they could resume their work of translating the Bible.
At least one Bible translator has died in the conflict. On May 23, a translator named Anka Terence was reportedly killed by soldiers in the Ngwo region.
Mission Network News said that the ministry is currently working on 85 translation projects in Cameroon. However, 20 percent of the project has had to be suspended due to the ongoing violence in the western region.
The ministry is hoping to recover lost manuscripts and digital files for the translation projects, and resume its efforts in translating the Bible in western Cameroon.
Wycliffe, which aims to translate the Bible in every language by the year 2025, has urged Christians to pray for peace in Cameroon, and to call on God to comfort those who have lost loved ones in the conflict.
