The World Alliance of Reformed Churches is extremely concerned by the communal conflicts in the Maluku islands and in Central Sulawesi, in which hundreds of places of worship have been burnt and thousand of lives taken.

During the Warc executive committee meeting in Bangalore, India, from July 20 to 29 2000, the department of cooperation and witness received additional information on the escalating human rights violations against the people in North and Central Maluku and Central Sulawesi.

In spite of the efforts that the Indonesian government is making, this tragedy and its escalation greatly disturbs Warc, an ecumenical community of faith consisting of 75 million Christians from 215 member churches in 106 countries.

Warc, which has 26 member churches throughout Indonesia - two of them in the Maluku islands and one in Central Sulawesi - is seriously concerned that, despite the declaration of a state of civil emergency in the Maluku islands, the situation has continued to deteriorate.

It has always been our basic aspiration and hope that all religious communities could peacefully co-exist and work together for peace and justice in the society where they are situated. We are convinced that religious communities should be a symbol of peace rather than sources of tension in society. With this position, Warc urges the Indonesian government to take decisive measures to restore the peaceful coexistence of the two religious communities in the Malukus. Our concern is peace for all - Muslims, Christians and people from other religions.

The Warc executive committee

encourages all prayers for peace in Maluku and in Central Sulawesi.
affirms that it stands in solidarity with the majority of Christians and Muslims in Indonesia, who have been and are living in harmony, in their support for peacekeeping efforts.
rejects all circumstances in which religious communities are abused or manipulated by political or economic powers.
appeals to President Abdurrahman Wahid of Indonesia to take all measures in his power to stop the conflict immediately and to restore peace among the people in the troubled area.
appeals to Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, to do whatever is necessary to restore security and peace in this region, including the following means: a team of observers from the UN; a peace-keeping force in the near future; and an urgent evacuation airlift for people in danger, in particular on small islands.
urges all member churches to remember in their prayers and thoughts the people in Maluku and Central Sulawesi, as well as their sister churches, the Protestant Church in the Moluccas (GPM), the Christian Evangelical Church in Halmahera (GMIH) and the Christian Church in Central Sulawesi (GKST), who are in crisis.

Statement adopted by the Warc executive committee during its meeting in Bangalore, India, July 20-29 2000.