The six terrorists of the Oromo Liberation Front, came with guns pointed at her head. She could imagine that her life was in danger. But she noticed, “they didn’t tie up my hands or blindfold me”, Sister Surabhila SIC shares her terrific experience of abduction in Ethiopia.
“It is sure that if we are captured by the armed men, the death is ahead. God saved me in those dangerous hours. Otherwise, I would not be alive today,” recalls the missionary nun from Kerala, India who has been abducted by armed men in Ethiopia and later released. She has been serving in Ethiopia for the past 19 years. As she belonged to the Bethany Congregation, she has been proud to be a missionary even at the face of death.
Nine Sisters from the Bethany Convent serve in three different communities in Ethiopia. Sister Tessa, Sister. Joan, Sister Vandana, Sister Silvy, Sister Prashantha, Sister Jobin, Sister Josmy, and Sister Uthitha are the nine missionaries.
In 2019, Sister Surabhila arrived in the Nekemte Diocese as a missionary. She was a nurse and started her work by serving at the clinic in Desancho village. Sixty to seventy patients came to the clinic on a day seeking medical aid. It was also a place with political unrest.
The Oromia Region OLF (Oromo Liberation Front), a political outfit worked against the government and tried to topple it. They would make gorilla-type attacks, disguising themselves as military personnel, on soldiers, police, and common people. They lived by robbing others. Their practice has been to attack and subjugate each area and rob five or six houses each. Attacks would be carried out and the family heads of each house would be abducted. After abducting them, they would start negotiating with the family for their release. The victims would be released only if they paid the amount they demand. Generally, they demanded large sums. If they failed to pay, they would be cruelly killed.
That night on Saturday 21st January 2023!
Saturday, January 21, 2023, was the day when the OLF team came to attack the sisters. “One o’clock in the night! We all were sleeping. They came to our house and knocked at the entrance. I and the other nun were in the convent.
“We both got up on hearing the knocking and immediately called for the security guard. We got a reply, ‘They have come.’ The guard added that the door should be opened immediately. If we would not, surely they would be shot at. We opened the door. There were six or seven people wearing military uniforms. Six of them had guns. One person came in normal clothes without a gun. Four of them entered the room. Three people stood outside the house. Realizing that they were trying to kidnap us, we both begged, “If you leave us, we shall give you the money you need.”
It soon became clear that their goal was not only money. The assailants tried first to take away Sister Tessy. She had not been there for long. Then Sister Surabhila told the assailants: “This Sister is new to this land. And she does not know the language. Don’t take the sister; I will come instead.” They took away everything from the house.
The assailants came out of the house with the two sisters. Anything could happen! Two nuns were in the middle of six or seven people with pointed guns. No one was there to help them; one guard stood there helplessly. However, the guard asked them:
“Who will bring you the money after you have taken these two away?”
Realizing that the question has been reasonable, they decided to leave one of us there. Since her companion didn’t know the local language, Sister Surabhila was taken away by the assailants. They had no vehicle and they marched along the forest in the dark with six men armed with guns. The journey was through the forest. First through some farm fields, then along a thorny and stony path. The bushy surroundings made the place even darker.
“I was wearing my rubber sandals. I couldn’t walk that far in those footwear. I fell to the ground after the large thorns pierced into my leg.
I told them: ‘You show me some light.’ Then they said. ‘We cannot show any light.’ They wanted to be unnoticed by others.
Three assailants were in front of me and three were behind me. I was in the middle. They didn’t tie up my hands or blindfold me. I was not afraid in the beginning, because I thought that they wanted only money.
They started to walk at one o’clock in night. They have been climbing a mountain. “How did we get there?” Surabhila wonders today! A song popped up in her mind on the way. ‘I was on the edge of the evening of life…’ Jesus gave a message to the sister through that song that she has been on God’s shoulder along the tough path. Soon she imagined, ‘Jesus has been carrying me, and the Holy Mother has been with me’. That thought made me stronger and more courageous.” I know that by now my companion sister must have informed everyone about the happenings. They all must be praying for me” – Sister consoled herself. It was five o’clock in the morning.
“My mother, save me from this man”
“By that time, five of the men walking with me disappeared, and only one person was with me. I was afraid he would hurt me. I asked him, ‘where are the other five men?’ He replied, ‘they will join us after some time.’ Then I told him in strong terms, “then let us wait here; we will continue the journey after their arrival. At that, his behavior suddenly changed. He tried to hurt me. This time I gathered up my courage and I told him boldly, “You can kill me. But don’t touch me. I’m not the kind of woman you think. I am a servant of God and his loved one. I live for God. So don’t touch me. You will get God’s punishment.”
But he didn’t listen to my word. Tried to hurt me again. At that time I felt like dyeing and prayed, ‘My Jesus, be with my soul’; and prayed to the Blessed Mother in a loud voice, “My mother, save me from this man.” At that moment I saw Blessed Mother’s figure between me and that man. I don’t know what happened. Bl. Mother took him away from me. Immediately he cried out: “I won’t do anything to her.”
“I was shocked, because what he said was not the answer to the question I had asked him. It was like a reply to a third person. I was sure that the third person was none other than my Bl. mother. Because he said, ‘I won’t hurt her, not I won’t hurt you. By that time the other five people reached back. Then I asked them: “Don’t you want the money? Why are you then coming to harm me?”
When it was dawn, they gave me the phone and said: “Call your people and ask them for the money.”
The sister immediately called the bishop on the phone. “They are trying to harm me; if I die it will be because I am resisting their attack. Father, pray for me.” Later, the sister companion who was with the bishop also contacted me over the phone. I was informed that I would not die for want of money. I don’t care to be alive after they hurt me. I will defend myself if they try to hurt me.”
They asked for a huge amount as a ransom but later it was reduced to five lakhs. They had told the sister that if they did not get the money that day, they would take the matter to their base. Once you reached that base, things would get even more dangerous. So they brought in the maximum amount of money in the first phase.
As soon the money was brought, they asked the sister to leave. The sister asked them: “Where should I go? I don’t know the way.”
So they themselves took the sister to the person who had delivered the money. They demanded for the remaining four lakhs. Until that was brought, a person should stand as a surety. In case the payment was not made on time he would be shot and killed.
When Sister Surabhila reached back in the convent it was already 3:30 p.m. Sunday. They could make available only a sum of 50,000. In such a situation it would be dangerous to report the matter to the police because they would then kill the person in their possession immediately. But immediately after Sister Surabhila was abducted, some of the locals had informed the police about it. On Monday, the police arrived and there was a shootout.
They were a large group and they started harassing the people. They tried to convince the missionaries that they would not do any harm to them because they have been ministering to the natives. It was just a part of their plan to extort money and kidnap them when they got a chance. After having been freed from the hands of those assailants, the sisters did not want to continue there.
Later those assailants came there once again in search of them. They saw that the nuns were gone. Had they remained there, they would have surely killed them out of their grudge for reporting the matter to the police.
Those sisters who had to leave the previous mission are now serving in another village in Ethiopia. Everyone suggested them to leave the mission in Ethiopia. “But this is the life that God has given as a gift. Therefore, it is our duty and responsibility to serve the poor people more fervently than before,” Surabhila responded.
Ever after that incident, both of these nuns could not even sleep well at night. “We used to wake up after one o’clock in the night. Now we are in a safe place. Working at a health center day and night. If any patient happens to come at night, there has been a sudden panic.”
Many people prayed for them in those days. They strongly believe that they are safe now through the prayers of their own members who pray day and night in tears. Even after being released from there, the power of that prayer has been like a safety mantle for them.
Sunisha V. F.