Displaying items by tag: Africa

The UN is investigating the death of people in the Central African Republic (CAR) by government forces and mercenaries with the Russian private military company Wagner. Over thirty civilians were killed, some by stray bullets, in the 16-17 January operation which targeted the Union for Peace rebel group. The UN mission known as MINUSCA received reports of the incident involving CAR troops and ‘other security personnel’. They sent a human rights team and security personnel there to assess the situation and take necessary measures to protect civilians. A military source, declining to be identified, suggested that the fighting is continuing, with forces and Russians committing massacres. ‘There have been summary executions and about fifty deaths.’ UN experts expressed concerns over ‘grave human rights abuses’ by the Wagner group, who take orders from the Russian defence ministry.

The Nigerian government says efforts are under way to release Leah Sharibu, the Christian teenager who was one of 110 girls abducted in 2018 by the Boko Haram group ISWAP. Her classmates were released, but Leah refused to convert to Islam and was declared a ‘slave for life’ by ISWAP while remaining in captivity. The federal government announced it is using the military to ensure Leah and all captives regain their freedom, and armed groups operating in Nigeria’s northwest are now called terrorists. Reacting to the announcement, Dr Kathaza Gondwe, advocacy director for CSW, said, ‘It is belated news as Nigeria’s president has been promising Leah's parents since 2018 that he would work quickly to ensure her release. But it's a welcomed development. We can only pray the government will honour this commitment.’ CSW believes that categorising ISWAP as terrorists will help in how the armed forces deal with them.

There are not enough theology teachers or leaders for village congregations or the urban educated. There needs to be serious consideration of what kind of training is most appropriate for Africans, including teaching and communication methods, curriculum and content, and length of courses and modules. Too much foreign structure and content has been imposed. Africans must develop training that works for Africans and deals with the Afrocentric issues facing the Church. Out of 150 theological colleges and programmes, only two are at postgraduate level. Discernment is needed to know those anointed by the Spirit for future leadership and those applying for prestige, potential employment, desire for education, etc. Church poverty and lack of understanding among potential donors hamper developing Bible training institutions. Financial needs are endless. Generosity from African and global churches is required for such vital ministry to continue. Pray for abundant modular training and training-in-service for both lay leaders and pastors.

In Somalia, Islam is the state religion, and almost everyone is Muslim. The number of Christians is believed to be in the hundreds. Pray that each of our brothers and sisters will find continued strength and hope in Jesus ‘so that they will not grow weary or lose heart’ (Hebrews 12:3). In Libya Christians who want to stay safe must live a secret life of faith. This is made harder by there not being a centralised government. Laws are not widely enforced, making Christians further exposed to persecution. Pray for the provision of a government that strives to protect all its people. Secret Christians in Yemen live under constant threat because of their faith. Ask God to give them wisdom and boldness as they live out the gospel. Pray, too, for peace and stability in a country that has been engulfed in civil war for nearly a decade.

Despite being called a predominantly Christian country, the Central African Republic (CAR) is a difficult place for biblical disciples to live. Since 2012, Islamic rebel groups, called Seleka, have caused civil unrest. Fighters opposing the Seleka, the anti-Balaka, considered to be mostly ‘Christians’, have carried out brutal revenge killings. As with the Seleka, some anti-Balaka have targeted biblical followers of Christ. In truth, the anti-Balaka are simply non-Muslims. While 85% of CAR’s 5 million people identify as Christians, only 30% are thought to be committed followers of Christ. These believers are increasingly attacked, driven from their homes, and killed. Since the fighting began, over 1.2 million people have been relocated across CAR because of violence. Another 600,000 refugees live outside CAR, and 600,000 live in camps for internally displaced people. Pray for adequate donations to be given to aid agencies providing thousands with food, shelter, and medicine.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s funeral was on 1 January. He was a driving force behind ending racial segregation and discrimination in an era when South Africa taught the world what courage and reconciliation could achieve. The contrast between those times of sacrifice, justice and glory, and today's corrupt political realities are stark. Deep economic frustration, high unemployment and inequality is governed by the African National Congress (ANC), which is at open war with itself and full of corruption. The day after Tutu’s funeral a fire severely ravaged much of the houses of parliament, causing ‘significant damage’ to the new assembly wing, including the National Assembly chamber where lawmakers sit. While firefighters were still working on ‘hotspots’ further flames erupted, threatening to cause the entire structure to collapse. We can pray that as men rebuild the houses of parliament, God will raise up and anoint political and community leaders to repair the damage done by mismanagement and corruption.

Prime minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned after pro-democracy protests by thousands against his power-sharing deal with the army. Chanting ‘power to the people’, they called for a return to full civilian rule. The military responded with force, and Hamdok's resignation left them in full control, damaging Sudan's attempt for democratic rule. Mr Hamdok said that Sudan was at a ‘dangerous turning point threatening its survival’, and he had tried his best to stop the country from ‘sliding towards disaster’. He added, ‘Mediation attempts with civilian and military officials to achieve the necessary consensus to deliver to our people the promise of peace, justice and no bloodshed have failed.’ An economist by training, he is widely respected in the international community, having previously worked as an official with the UN. He helped negotiate removal of some of Sudan's debts, but this involved removing fuel subsidies, leading to higher prices of goods and then anti-government protests.

According to military sources, suspected IS-linked extremists decapitated a pastor in Cabo Delgado on 15 December and forced his wife to carry his head to the police station. The monstrous act took place amidst a four-year long insurgency ravaging the country, leaving over 3,000 people dead and almost 100,000 displaced. Pray for the Lord to provide comfort to the wife of this slain pastor, and that He would heal her of the trauma she has had to endure. In a statement after the attack, IS boasted that its affiliate, Al-Shabab (not linked to Somali terror group), had killed dozens of security personnel and Christians, including westerners from what the statement termed ‘Crusader nations.’

The national primary health care agency (NPHCDA) destroyed 1,066,214 expired doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that were donated to them in October but had to be used by November. The decision to destroy the vaccinations followed several testing processes showing it was necessary to destroy them to protect Nigerians from being harmed. NPHCDA’s director said they had an option to try and use these vaccines beyond the labelled expiry date, but decided to destroy them at the point they expired. The vaccines came with a short life span, some as short as two weeks. NPHCDA said while Nigeria appreciated the gesture of the donors, it was not in the interest of Nigeria that vaccines with a short lifespan were sent there. Only ten million Nigerians have been vaccinated to date: Nigeria’s target is 110 million people.

The villagers of Lihukwa used to fish the local rivers, but this barely provided them with enough food or income to survive. Families went hungry, there was no school or hospital, and accessing essential supplies was challenging. Pastor Teddy Chinyama visited the village and began offering Bible study. Then, as he got to know the villagers, he taught them how to use the land God had given them and trained them in growing a variety of crops. They began to hope for a better life, and transformation began. They successfully petitioned the local council to set up a health clinic and support the construction of a new school. New projects are springing up all the time. The villagers now grow their own food and sell vegetables at the market. People are now able to afford what they need, and hunger is a thing of the past.