Displaying items by tag: Africa

700 churches in Rwanda have been closed in a mass government clampdown. The board which monitors public and private organisations said, 'Some churches conduct worship services in shoddy, unclean structures, to the detriment of health and safety. Noise pollution has been reported, and some operate without the required operation permits.’ Pentecostal churches run by charismatic preachers claiming to hear directly from God or saying they can perform miracles have spread rapidly, and many operate out of tiny structures without planning permission. In order to start a church in Rwanda a pastor needs a government certificate that expires after one year. A new law will make it more difficult for a person to call themselves a preacher and start a new church without any theological training. Some preachers 'deceive their congregation with misleading sermons'. However the authorities are accused of trying to control preachers’ messages, in a country often accused of stifling free speech.

On 25 February, Nigeria's information minister had a meeting with the family members of 110 girls who were abducted a week earlier. The frustrated families had criticised the government for taking so long to acknowledge the abduction. They presented the minister with a list of names of the missing girls, and complained that officials were being slow to respond. The girls’ fate is not known, but witnesses said the Islamic extremists specifically asked where the girls’ school was located. Some eyewitnesses reported seeing young women taken away at gunpoint. Air Force spokesman Olatokunbo Adesanya said that efforts to locate the girls are being conducted in close liaison with other security forces. It is feared the girls will become brides for Boko Haram extremists. Nigeria's president said no effort will be spared to locate them.

60.5% of South Sudan’s population is Christian, with over 60 different major ethnic groups. South Sudan split from the predominantly Islamic north in 2011 and was expected to prosper as the split meant it inherited most of Sudan's oil wealth. But civil war has robbed the nation, killed thousands, and left tens of thousands in need of humanitarian aid. Now a report by UN human rights investigators says that over 40 South Sudanese officials, including military generals and state governors, may be guilty of crimes against humanity, (rape, murder of civilians, and conscripting child soldiers). The report says, ‘Children have been recruited and forced to kill civilians. In many cases they have watched loved ones raped or killed. The scale of the hunger and destruction inflicted on the country by its political and military leaders defies description.’

Recently the Egyptian army and police launched a comprehensive anti-terrorism operation in the Sinai peninsula ahead of the 26-28 March elections in which President al-Sisi will be running for a second term. A spokesman said intelligence information revealed that extremist groups were planning to carry out terrorist attacks across Egypt during the election, to erode citizens’ trust in the state’s ability to secure the country and to prevent them from casting their votes. Armed groups are concentrated in three cities, Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and el-Arish, deep in the desert. Classes have been indefinitely suspended in all schools in the area. The roads linking north Sinai to the other governorates and the governorate cities to each other were closed, forcing residents to stay at home and making it difficult for university students to travel.

At least 13 people were killed on 26 February in clashes between Christians and Muslims in Kasuwan Magani community in Kaduna state, central Nigeria. Many houses and shops were burnt down. Twenty suspects have been arrested and extra police have been put on the streets to try to quell the violence. ‘The place is currently calm. I was in the village yesterday to implore the community and traditional leaders to direct the warring youths to sheath their swords,’ said the state police commissioner. ‘We don't want to jump to conclusions as to what led to the mayhem. Speculation was that some Christian boys were unhappy that their girls are befriending Muslim boys.’ Local reports indicate the death toll is higher than the police have reported.

In January, the voices of a praying and fasting network of Christians across the country stirred God’s heart to reveal some of His plans for the country at the start of the year. One of God’s revelations during this strategic prayer time was that He would accelerate the process of change within the country. On 14 February, President Jacob Zuma resigned, ending weeks of speculation. Cyril Ramaphosa is now the fifth President of democratic South Africa. Pray for the beginning of an honourable era in South African national politics under God’s leadership through Ramaphosa. Pray for the ANC as they face deep structural challenges. Pray also for Mr Zuma’s future to be in God’s hands, whether it is quiet retirement or court appearances. See

‘They threatened to kill me.’ ‘They’ are not jihadist groups, they are A’s family. When A committed his life to Christ in 2000, his Muslim family from the ethnic Kotoko people acted as if he had pointed a challenging dagger at them. The Kotoko take pride in the fact that they are one of the few tribes in their region with no known Christians. A said, ‘When all their spells and curses with the help of the local medicine man failed, they tried to kill me themselves.’ More than once, his family tried to poison his food. One night, strangers kidnapped him and took him to an unknown destination. ‘On the way there, I prayed for God to confuse them so that they could release me. And He did! They just let me go without saying anything.’ A and others face constant insults, exclusion and danger from their families when they become Christians.

Since the end of apartheid the African National Congress (ANC) has dominated South African politics. The people struggle with 30% unemployment, 55% live below the poverty line, and the 75-year-old president faces serious corruption charges. Amid calls for him to resign, Zuma still has many supporters, including two of the six ANC leaders even though he is no longer the party leader. He is widely blamed for the corruption, misrule and economic stagnation that now afflict the nation. Charges of corruption - always vehemently denied - appear to be catching up with him. Zuma refuses to step down, but opposition parties are discussing the possibility of taking to the streets on 22 February‚ the day of a no confidence vote in parliament.

South Africa has the worst drought in 23 years. Climate change and massive population growth are blamed for the crisis. They are extracting water from underground springs and developing wastewater treatment and better water conservation, but the crisis worsens. By November 2017 schools were urging students to bring water from home, and asking them to attend school in sports gear so that parents do not need to wash two outfits. It is expected that on 12 April taps will be turned off in the Cape Town area, leaving residents to use 200 water collection points. Commercial areas, hospitals and settlements will be exempt. The city is getting tougher on people who stockpile water and unlicensed stores selling drinkable water. A plant to turn seawater into 15 million litres of usable water every day is planned, but it is not built yet. See

Last November Mr Kenyatta was officially inaugurated as president, but his victory was not recognised by Raila Odinga, who argues that Mr Kenyatta was elected by a small section of the country. On 31 January he declared himself the people's president, at a controversial swearing-in ceremony that the government warned is treason. Authorities shut down TV stations to prevent live coverage of the event. Holding a Bible in his right hand at a Nairobi park, he declared he was answering a ‘higher calling to assume the office of the people's president of the Republic of Kenya’. He said that people had had enough of election rigging, and the event is hoped to be a step towards establishing a proper democracy in the East African state. Mr Odinga turned up for twenty minutes, signed a statement, swore an oath, and left the low-key affair. His deputy, Kalonzo Musyoka, was not at the event.