At least 30 people were butchered, dozens more injured and hundreds of buildings, including at least two churches and a mosque, were burnt to the ground in religious violence in Poso, Sulawesi in late June and early July.

Over the past year, Christians, who form a minority in Poso, have complained of discrimination from the Muslim-dominated local authorities and violent attacks by Islamic extremists. In one incident in mid-June a Christian man was savagely beaten up and both his ears were cut off by a gang of extremists. For many the mainly Christian town of Tentena has become their only safe haven.

Over 200 people were killed in May last year when Christians finally began to defend themselves against Islamic extremists after enduring two earlier attacks (in December 1998 and April 2000) without responding. As a result over one hundred Christians have been prosecuted for violence against Muslims, including three sentenced to death, whilst virtually no one has been charged with the slaughter of many thousands of Christians in Sulawesi and the Malukus since 1999.

The growing tension finally led to further horrific violence between Muslims and Christians which began at the end of June. In one raid a woman was burnt to death in her own home, in another a five-months pregnant mother-to-be was butchered. Badly mutilated bodies were found drifting down a river after one attack, whilst after another raid two bodies were found riddled with bullets. Thousands of refugees have fled the violence. Meanwhile, Islamic extremists from outside of Poso are accused of stirring it up.