The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, April 12, 1996                 TAG: 9604120621
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: STAFF AND WIRE REPORT 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   35 lines

BEACH-BASED MISSIONARY FLEES WARFARE IN LIBERIA

A Virginia Beach-based missionary is among the Americans who have fled the chaotic urban warfare engulfing the west African nation of Liberia.

The Rev. Rosetta Cox had been in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, for about a year as pastor of a church affiliated with Rock Church of Virginia Beach.

The church was bombed during factional fighting that shook the city this week, the Rev. John Gimenez, pastor of Rock Church, said Thursday. He said several Liberian government officials who are members of the Monrovia church are believed to have been marked for assassination.

One of those officials helped Cox reach the U.S. Embassy, and from there she was evacuated to the neighboring African nation of Senegal, Gimenez said.

Cox, a Norfolk native in her mid-30s, is expected to fly out of Senegal tonight and arrive in Hampton Roads Saturday, Gimenez said.

A total of 620 people have been evacuated from Monrovia since Tuesday, 156 of those Americans, a State Department spokesman said. The others were from 35 countries.

One reason that nearly 400 Americans remain in Liberia despite the worst unrest in three years is that they have been unable to get to the embassy compound because of the street fighting.

Up to 20,000 civilians, including foreign diplomats, missionaries and Liberians, have fled to the U.S. Embassy compound and U.N. offices since Saturday, when the warfare escalated. by CNB