Muna February 1998, masoja ehurumende nemauto eEconomic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) akatanga kurwisa zvakasimba kuti abudise mauto evapanduki muFreetown. Zvinosuruvarisa zvikuru kuti imwe hama yakaurayiwa nezvimedu zvakabva pakuputika kwezvombo kwakaitika pakurwisana kwacho kunotyisa.

Vaparidzi vanenge 150 vakaenda kunogara kudzimba dzemamishinari kuKissy uye kuCockerill. Laddie Sandy, mumwe wehama mbiri dzairinda paBheteri usiku anorondedzera, kuti: “Rimwe zuva pakati pousiku, ini naPhilip Turay tiri pabasa, vapanduki vaviri veRUF vainge vakapakata zvombo vakasvika paBheteri uye vakatimanikidza kuti tivhure madhoo egirazi aiva pachivako chacho. Ini naPhilip zvatakasvetuka kuti tihwande, vakabva varamba vachipfura kiyi yepadhoo racho. Zvinoshamisa kuti rakangoramba rakavharika, uye havana kufunga zvokupfura magirazi edhoo racho. Vapererwa, vakabva vangoenda.

“Papera usiku huviri, vapanduki vacho vakadzoka nevamwe vavo vanenge 20 vainge vakatsunga uye vakanyatsogadzirira. Takabva tangozivisa mhuri yeBheteri ndokumhanyira mukamuri riri pasi pechivako chacho rainge rafanogadzirirwa kuti tizohwanda. Tose tiri vanomwe takahwanda murima seri kwemazidhiramu mahombe maviri, tichibvunda nokutya. Kuti vapinde muchivako chacho vakapfura padhoo, kiyi yacho ndokubva yaparara. Mumwe wevapanduki vacho akashevedzera kuti, ‘Tsvakai Zvapupu zvaJehovha izvozvo, muzvidimbure mitsipa.’ Takaramba takati zii takachonjomara ivo zvavaiparadza zvinhu zvaiva muchivako chacho kwemaawa manomwe. Vapedza kuparadza zvinhu zvakawanda, vakatora zvavaida ndokuenda.

“Takaunganidza zvinhu zvedu ndokumhanya kuenda kuimba yemamishinari yokuCockerill—yaichimbova musha  weBheteri—tichikwidza nemugwagwa. Tiri munzira takatorerwa zvinhu zvedu nerimwe boka revapanduki. Takazosvika kuimba yemamishinari tangobatira ura mumaoko asi taifara kuti tainge tiri vapenyu. Tazorora kwemazuva mashoma, takadzokera kuBheteri kunochenesa tichibvisa zvinhu zvainge zvaparadzwa.”

Papera mwedzi miviri, pashure pokunge mauto eECOMOG ava nesimba muguta racho, mamishinari akatanga kudzoka achibva kuGuinea. Asi haana kuziva kuti aizongogara kwenguva pfupi.

Pashure pemwedzi misere, muna December 1998, mazana evanhu ainakidzwa neGungano Reruwa raiti, “Nzira yaMwari Youpenyu,” muNational Stadium muFreetown. Vakangoerekana vanzwa kudhuuka nechekure, utsi huchibva hwati tugu mumakomo. Uto revapanduki rainge radzoka!

Mumazuva akatevera, mamiriro ezvinhu muFreetown akawedzera kuipa. Dare Rebazi rakahaya kandege kadiki ndokubudisa mamishinari 12, vashandi 8 vepaBheteri vaibva kune dzimwe nyika nevazvipiri 5 vaiita basa rokuvaka vachiendeswa kuConakry. Papera mazuva matatu, musi wa6 January 1999, mauto evapanduki akatanga mushandirapamwe wokuuraya vanhu zvine utsinye wainzi Operation No Living Thing (Hapana Chinhu Chipenyu Chinosara). Vachiita chisimba chinotyisa vakasakadza Freetown, vakauraya vanhuwo zvavo vanenge 6 000. Vapanduki vacho vakadimbura vanhu maoko nemakumbo pavaidira, vakaba mazana evana, uye vakaparadza zviuru zvezvivako.

Imwe hama yaidiwa zvikuru, Edward Toby, yakaurayiwa zvine utsinye. Vaparidzi vanopfuura 200 vainge vashungurudzika vakachengetwa paBheteri uye vamwe kuimba yemamishinari yekuCockerill. Vamwe vakahwanda mumisha yavo. Zvapupu zvainge zvaenda kunogara kuimba yemamishinari yekuKissy, iri nechokumabvazuva kwedhorobha racho, zvainyanya kuda mishonga yekuti zvirapwe. Asi kupfuura nemuguta kwaiva nengozi zvikuru. Ndiani aizozvipira kudaro? Laddie Sandy naPhilip  Turay, hama dzainge dzakashinga idzo dzairinda paBheteri usiku dzakabva dzangozvipira.

“Zvinhu zvainge zvisina kana kumira zvakanaka muguta,” anodaro Philip. “Masoja evapanduki aigarira munzvimbo dzinomiswa motokari dzichiongororwa, achishungurudza vanhu paaidira. Taitadza kufamba takasununguka nekuti hapana munhu aitombofanira kuonekwa achifamba kubva kuma3 dzemasikati kusvika kuma10 dzemangwanani. Papera mazuva maviri kubva patakasimuka, takasvika kuimba yemamishinari yekuKissy, tikawana zvinhu zvaparadzwa uye imba yacho yapiswa.

“Pataitenderera tichitarisa-tarisa, takawana imwe yehama dzedu, Andrew Caulker, aiva nemaronda aityisa mumusoro. Vapanduki vainge vamusunga ndokumutema-tema nedemo. Chinoshamisa ndechokuti haana kufa uye akakwanisa kutiza. Takamumhanyisa kuchipatara, kwaakazopora zvishoma  nezvishoma. Pave paya akazoshumira sapiyona wenguva dzose.”

Zvimwe Zvapupu hazvina kuurayiwa kana kukuvadzwa nekuti zvaizivikanwa sevaKristu vasina divi ravanotsigira. Imwe hama inorondedzera kuti: “Vapanduki vacho vakatimanikidza kuti tisunge tumadhuku tuchena totamba mumugwagwa tichitsigira zvavaiita. Vakatiudza kuti, ‘Kana mukaramba, tinokudimburai ruoko kana gumbo kana kukuurayai.’ Tatyiswa zvikuru, ini nemudzimai wangu takaenda padivi, ndokunyengetera chinyararire tichikumbira kubatsirwa naJehovha. Aona dambudziko redu, mumwe wechiduku watainge takavakidzana naye aishanda nevapanduki, akaudza mukuru wevapanduki vacho kuti: ‘Uyu “ihama” yedu. Haaiti zvematongerwo enyika, saka ndisu tichamutambira.’ Agutsikana, mukuru wacho akatendeuka achitisiya, isu tikabva takurumidza kuenda kumba.”

Runyararo rusina kujairika zvarwakava muguta macho, hama dzakatanga kuita misangano uye basa romumunda dzakangwaririra. Vaparidzi vaipfeka mabheji egungano kuti vazivikanwe panzvimbo dzinomiswa motokari dzichiongororwa. Hama padzaimira mumitsetse mirefu panzvimbo idzi dzaisvika pakuva nyanzvi pakutanga kukurukura nevanhu nezveBhaibheri.

Zvinhu zvakasiyana-siyana pazvainetsa kuwana muguta macho, bazi rekuBritain rakatumira nendege makatoni 200 ezvinhu zvokuyamura. Billie Cowan naAlan Jones vakabva kuConakry vachienda kuFreetown nendege kuti vanochengetedza zvinhu zvainge zvatumirwa pazvaizopfuura nepose paiongororwa motokari. Zvinhu zvacho zvakasvika kuBheteri nguva dzaisafanira kuonekwa vanhu vachifamba manheru dzava kuda kukwana. James Koroma aiendesa zvinhu kuConakry, achidzoka aine mabhuku nezvimwe zvinhu zvaikosha. Zvimwe zvokudya izvi zvokunamata zvaiendeswa kwaiva nevaparidzi vaiva kwavo voga kuBo neKenema.

Musi wa9 August 1999, mamishinari aiva kuConakry akatanga kudzoka kuFreetown. Gore rakatevera racho uto rekuBritain  rainge rakapakata zvombo rakabudisa vapanduki muFreetown. Vanhu vakamboramba vachirwisana pano neapo, asi muna January 2002, zvakaziviswa kuti hondo yainge yapera. Zvichikonzerwa nehondo yacho yemakore 11 vanhu 50 000 vakaurayiwa, 20 000 vakaremadzwa, misha 300 000 yakaparadzwa, uye vanhu mamiriyoni 1,2 vakatiza vachisiya misha yavo.

Zvinhu zvaifamba sei musangano raJehovha panguva iyoyo? Zviri pachena kuti Jehovha airichengetedza uye airikomborera. Panguva yokurwisana kwacho, vanhu vanenge 700 vakabhabhatidzwa. Mazana eZvapupu ainge atiza achibva munzvimbo dzaitsviriridza hondo, asi vaparidzi muSierra Leone vakawedzera ne50 muzana. MuGuinea vaparidzi vakawedzera neinopfuura 300 muzana! Chinonyanya kukosha ndechokuti vanhu vaMwari vakaramba vakaperera. Vari ‘muvira rokutambudzika,’ vakaratidza kubatana uye kudanana kwechiKristu uye ‘vakaramba vachidzidzisa nokuzivisa mashoko akanaka vasingaregi.’—Isa. 48:10; Mab. 5:42.