Officials of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s world headquarters and Adventist Risk Management are safe in Abidjan following a weekend of violent clashes between mobs in Abidjan and French troops, following French retaliation for an Ivorian assault that killed nine French peacekeeping troops and an American aid worker. The church officials are expected to leave on Tuesday to return home.

Pastor Gerald Karst, a vice president of the world church, is reported as staying at the home of friends in Abidjan, while associate world church secretary Pastor Roscoe Howard, who also is secretary of the church in North America; special assistant to the world church treasurer Ray Wahlen; and Goodwill Nthani, an employee of Adventist Risk Management’s British office, are reported as staying at the Hotel Ivoir Intercontinental, which is being guarded by French and United Nations Forces.

The group is together for the year-end meetings for the West-African region of the church.

“The year-end meetings for the Adventist Church are continuing and should finish on schedule [Tuesday],” Jean Emmanuel Nlo Nlo, communication director for the church’s West Africa region said from his home in Abidjan. He added, “So far God is taking care of us. Keep on praying for us.”