Displaying items by tag: Africa

The UN has urged the Algerian government to stop harassing its Christian minority, after several churches, Christian bookshops and a day-care centre for Christian children were closed down in recent months. Dozens of other churches also received notifications ordering them to close. The UNHRC is reviewing Algeria’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and said it ‘remained concerned’ over the closures. It has called on Algeria’s government to ‘guarantee the full exercise of freedom of thought, conscience and religion to all’. It also said Algeria should ‘refrain from obstructing the religion of persons who do not observe the official religion, by destruction and closure of establishments or refusal to grant registration of religious movements’.

Tensions between groups of taxi drivers vying for the same routes can spill into deadly violence in South Africa. Minibus taxis are the most popular form of transport and violence is common between rival groups vying for dominance on profitable routes. On 21 July gunmen opened fire on a minibus carrying members of a taxi drivers’ association, killing 11 people and critically wounding four others. They had attended a colleague’s funeral, and were returning to Johannesburg when the ambush occurred. In May South African media reported the deaths of ten people, in violence related to rivalries among minibus taxi drivers in Cape Town. In April four taxi drivers were shot dead in the war between two rival Johannesburg taxi associations. Those killings were sparked by the murder of one driver the previous week. Pray for common sense to prevail and end the tit-for-tat murders.

On 15 July the Christian Association of Nigeria reported that in the previous week 238 Christians were killed and more churches desecrated by Muslims. This puts the total number of Christians killed as 6,000+ since January. This is genocide. A joint communiqué from the Christian Association, representing different denominations, said, ‘There is no doubt that the sole purpose of these attacks is ethnic cleansing, land seizure and the forced expulsion of Christian natives from their land and ancestral heritage.’ The statement condemned recent attacks, where 2,000+ people had been brutally murdered and churches destroyed without any security intervention despite the various calls for help that were made. Taking into account that Christians constitute more than 50% of the Nigerian population, it is obvious that the objective of the Islamists is to create serious conflicts that, if not controlled, can lead to another civil war. Also, floods are killing many and ruining crops, raising fears of food shortages. See https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/nigeria-floods-worsen-food-shortages-180715120551293.html

We recently had ‘African Anti-Corruption Day’ ,which recognised the progress made in the fight against corruption and the significant work still left to do. To highlight this point, the African Union (AU) designated 2018 as the year for ‘winning the fight against corruption’. The AU signed several treaties aimed at ensuring democracy, rule of law and good governance. But much more needs to be done. Corruption hampers development and the ability to bring people out of poverty. The continent ranks lowest amongst global regions in corruption perceptions, and the impact cannot be underestimated. 43% of Africans are living in poverty while over 50 billion US dollars’ worth of stolen assets flow out of Africa annually, money that could be invested in jobs and social services, where additional resources are needed most. Transparency International wrote an open letter to the AU highlighting seven areas where it could focus its efforts.

Hostility, injustice and violence are a daily reality for millions of Christians across the Horn of Africa. In Somalia the militant Al-Shabaab group frequently kills suspected Christians on the spot, and believers keep their faith completely secret. In Eritrea the government views Christians as agents of the West and will arrest, harass and kill them with impunity. Hundreds are imprisoned in horrific conditions. Ethiopia is a Christian-majority country, but converts from Islam are rejected by their families and communities. In Kenya Al-Shabaab militants cross the border from Somalia. They killed dozens of Kenyan Christians last year. In Djibouti rumours of conversion are often enough for believers to lose their inheritance rights or custody of their children. Imagine living where, because you’re a Christian, you fail your studies, your neighbours beat you up, your home is destroyed, your family is put in prison, your father is killed. Would you lose heart, give up, change your faith? Please pray for those experiencing this daily.

Attacks by a new Islamist militant group, Al-Sunna wa Jama’a, are being reported in Cabo Delgado province. Their first attacks targeted police stations. Since then more attacks and beheadings indicate a new jihadist movement in areas previously untroubled by Islamist extremism. Human Rights Watch reported 39 dead and 1,000+ displaced since May. On 5 June men attacked two villages with machetes and a small book in their hands reading loudly Arabic words from the book, before setting houses on fire. All the assailants had their faces covered and spoke Swahili. On 6 June, men with machetes and AK-47 assault rifles raided a neighbouring village, killing six and burning down 100+ homes. On 12 June, an elderly man was beheaded and another 100+ homes burned down when six men with machetes stormed Nathuko village. More. Also Missionary Heidi Baker appeals to Christians to pray for her work there

Fifteen years of civil war, combined with extreme poverty, a fragile political process and recurrent climatic shocks, have impacted strongly on Burundi’s economy and nutrition. Only 28% of the population have a sufficient, nutritious diet all year round and 58% percent are chronically malnourished. Food security for the majority of Burundians has not improved in recent years, despite a gradual return to peace. With a population growth rate of nearly 3% per annum and agricultural production having declined by 24% since the civil war began, people are going hungry. Even during the harvest season, families spend up to two-thirds of their income on food. Burundi is one of the countries identified by both the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) as being among the most affected by soaring food prices. After so many years of conflict, the capacity of the government to respond to this new challenge is limited.

Algerian Christians cannot openly practise their faith. 99% of the population are Muslim, and intolerance from Muslim relatives and neighbours is a major source of persecution. The state restricts freedom of religion through stringent laws and bureaucracy. Many ethnic Berbers are coming to Christ and Arabs are persecuting them. Laws regulate non-Muslim worship, ban conversion, and prohibit blasphemy. In recent years, several Christian churches with Muslim-background congregations have been ordered to close. Slimane Bouhafs, imprisoned for insulting Islam, was violently harassed by fellow prisoners for his faith. On 16 May a judge denied Pastor Nouredine Belabed's appeal against a sentence of a 100,000-dinar fine and payment of court fees plus a suspended sentence. Pray for the young people, who make up a large percentage of the population as well as the majority of Christians.

On 10 June Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed two Christians and seriously wounded another in central Nigeria. Ibrahim Weyi, 45, and Larry More, 53, were hacked to death when herdsmen ambushed them as they were going home on a motorcycle from an evening worship service.  A third Christian, 23-year-old Samuel Weyi, was wounded and is in intensive care. Lawrence Zango said, ‘Fulani herdsmen have continued to kill innocent Christians in our villages, yet the Nigerian government has not taken proactive measures to end the onslaught.’ President Muhammadu Buhari is also a Fulani Muslim.  A spokesman for the Plateau State Command said an investigation is under way. Herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in the Bassa area intensified late last year and have continued in spite of the presence of military personnel. Victims are either ambushed and killed or attacked in their homes at night.

There are currently two rival governments in Libya who are unable to find common ground while large parts of the country are run by IS. The dreadful security situation is the main reason for the growing migrant crisis, as traffickers turn Libya into a launchpad for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the North Africa and Middle East violence across the Mediterranean Sea. Smugglers have moved hundreds of thousands of migrants into Europe. By December 2017 there were an estimated 400,000 to 700,000 migrants in over 40 detention camps across Libya. People trapped in detention centres are beaten and live in inhumane conditions, while more than 3,100 migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya died last year. Meanwhile Libyan coastguards rescued 152 immigrants on two boats and another 80 on 10 June, with sanctions being imposed on six human traffickers. See https://www.libyaobserver.ly/news/libyas-coast-guard-rescues-over-230-illegal-immigrants-western-shores