More than 2,000 Christians fleeing attacks by Muslim fighters in their village have been evacuated from mountainous jungle in eastern Indonesia's Maluku islands, a Christian activist said Saturday.
"As of now 2,254 people have been found, out of an estimated 5,000 who fled to the jungle," Sammy Weileruni, a lawyer working with the Maranatha church in Ambon told AFP.
He said police helped with the evacuation.
The Christian residents fled the village of Waai as Muslims militants, allegedly aided by army troops, razed their village, 35 kilometers (22 miles) northeast of Ambon on July 30th.
At least 37 people have been killed in the jungle, Weileruni said.
Reports from villagers who reached the Christian village of Suli close to Ambon city, said 23 people were killed by Muslims who chased them into the jungle while 11 others died of various causes while in hiding there.
Weileruni said the operation to bring down more people from the mountains would continue Saturday.
He said four people also died in the jungle following another Muslim raid on the Alang Asaudi village on neighboring Seram Island on Wednesday. He said the Muslim fighters remained in Ambon despite a pledge by authorities to evict them.
The fighters, who come from outside the Malukus, have been blamed for the recent upsurge of Muslim-Chritian violence there.
"The Maluku police chief met with them but there doesn't seem to be any effort to expel them out of Ambon," Weilaruni said - JAKARTA (AFP)
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