Pawns of War

They were geologists searching for oil when suddenly they became pawns in Ethiopia's guerrilla war. They fell into guerrilla hands on March 26 when their helicopter went down in Eritrea province. Ever since, the men--Powers W. Case, 36, John W. Rogers, 50, both Texans, and Canadian Clifford James, 27, all employees of Tenneco, Inc., along with U.N. Geologist Matti Tavela, 54, an American working in Ethiopia--have been held. Their captors are members of the Eritrean Liberation Front (E.L.F.), which is waging a bloody secessionist battle. Tenneco has already agreed to an E.L.F. demand for $3 million in ransom, but the Ethiopian government refuses to meet another demand to release five jailed guerrillas. Meanwhile, the four captives survive mainly on a sour porridge called durra, the staple of the region. Not surprisingly, they have all lost weight. But, as Tavela told an Italian journalist who recently toured the guerrilla territory:

"It's not so bad that we're thinner; the main problem is our freedom. We want to get back to the world. Let them do everything to get us out."

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