Displaying items by tag: Africa

Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Imam Oumar Kobine Layama and Rev Nicolas Guérékoyamé-Gbangou have international recognition for their peacekeeping efforts, and have blamed foreign mercenaries for an upsurge in violence. The so-called 'Christian rebels', the Anti-balaka, wear occult charms around their necks and fight with knives, clubs, rifles and machetes to rid the south of Muslims. The Bambari cathedral was looted, as were the bases of nine NGOs including the National Commission for Refugees. The clerics called all armed groups to lay down weapons, stop illegal exploitation of natural resources, and have ‘frank and inclusive dialogue’. The UN reported that 37,000 people, displaced by recent violence, are living in nine camps. The Red Cross said Muslim and Christian communities in Bambari want to live peaceably but are driven apart by violence and revenge attacks that trigger more assaults, making it harder to persuade people to live side-by-side again. See

In Kenya, politics and ethnic rivalry go hand in hand. On 31 May president Uhuru Kenyatta, opposition leader Raila Odinga, and their deputies exchanged hugs and apologies, cementing their pledge to promote unity after a fractious and bloody election. The unusual scene unfolded at the country's annual national prayer meeting, eight months after Kenyatta's re-election in a poll that divided the nation and left at least 92 dead, according to rights groups. ‘We have said nasty things against each other, and today I ask forgiveness and apologise,’ said Kenyatta. ‘Never again shall a Kenyan die because of an election. On my own behalf and that of all those behind me, I tender my apology’, said Odinga, whose supporters were killed by police during protests.

Christian leaders are being invited to a meeting in Johannesburg on 5 June to collaborate on a joint Bible-based response on land expropriation without compensation, for submission to a new constitutional review committee. After parliament’s February vote in favour of land expropriation without compensation, this committee was set up to review Section 25 of the constitution and other clauses where necessary, to make it possible for the state to expropriate land in the public interest, without compensation. Following this submission, further stages of the public consultation process will continue; the committee must submit its report by 30 August.

Communities in Kampala are protecting widows and orphans from having their land stolen from them. Last year, International Justice Mission organised community dialogues about women’s and children’s property rights, to build the understanding that women and girls are also legally able to inherit land. One of the leaders of these discussions said that in his community a man died leaving behind a wife. Her neighbours who had participated in the discussions carried the man’s casket at the funeral and wore t-shirts which read ‘Stop Land Grabbing,’ sending the message to the community that no one should touch the widow’s land. In the past, after a death, a widow and her children were forced off their land. Now they have justice.

Kidnappers have started contacting families for ransom after scores of people were kidnapped in northern Nigeria, in an outbreak of crime unconnected to Boko Haram. Criminal gangs raid villages and steal cattle in bloody attacks. Earlier this month, 71 died after a bloody clash between armed bandits and militiamen. The kidnappers took advantage of a security lull on the road as a result of local elections taking place. Kidnappings for ransom often happen. A Syrian construction worker was kidnapped in Sokoto. Police dispatched to rescue him were ambushed by the kidnappers, and three were killed in the fight. Nigeria is battling an array of security threats across the country, from Boko Haram jihadists, oil militants, nomadic Fulani tribesmen, and criminal gangs kidnapping for profit. Churches are desecrated, Christians slaughtered, and women, girls and young men are kidnapped or forced into suicide missions.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is braced for a gruesome battle, this time against the deadly virus Ebola. Congolese authorities declared the outbreak in the northwest region on 8 May; so far three have died from the disease. The number of reported cases is 42, according to a World Health Organisation tally. A health ministry spokeswoman said that 5,400 doses of vaccine had arrived from Geneva; they would be kept in Kinshasa until refrigerated transport could be guaranteed. The WHO said the risk of the disease spreading was high, and announced it was preparing for the ‘worst case scenario’. Its chief executive visited the affected area last weekend, saying he hoped for a ‘better way out’ of the latest outbreak. On 16 May Oxfam pledged an initial £50,000 to fight the spread of the disease. Ebola is one of the world's most notorious diseases, being both highly infectious and extremely lethal. See also:

A dam burst in Kenya on 9 May after heavy rain, causing huge destruction and killing at least forty people. The breach happened on farmland 120 miles northwest of Nairobi. The dead are thought to include children and women trapped in mud. The Kenyan Red Cross says it has rescued some 40 people so far, and over 2,000 people have been left homeless. There are fears that the death toll could rise as the search-and-rescue operation continues. The Patel dam, one of three reservoirs owned by a large-scale farmer, broke its walls and swept away a primary school and hundreds of homes downstream, following the heavy rains that have been pounding the country. The toll now brings to 162 the number of people who have died countrywide as a result of the rains since March, according to official statistics. More than 220,000 people have had their homes destroyed.

The Bishop of Makurdi, Nathan Inyom, was attacked by gunmen in Nigeria’s Benue state on 6 May. None of the five passengers (who included his wife Becky and his chaplain) was injured, but his car was stolen in the attack. Benue is an area that has been beset by increasing levels of violence in recent weeks. Last month two Catholic priests, Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, were killed when herdsmen stormed the church in Ukpor where they were celebrating Mass. ‘This was an attack on everything that we ever stood for and believed in’, a spokesman said. See

The UN has declared South Sudan a famine nation. People receive food, humanitarian aid, and English lessons. A pastor passionately shouts slowly in English to the community attending English classes. In Juba there are 21 learning centres with 2,100 learners and 61 volunteer teachers. In Ugandan refugee camps there are 22 learning centres with 647 students and 32 volunteer teachers. They come to centres only to learn English, but through a discipleship programme some are giving their lives to Jesus. The impact of learning English is transformative, but what they read in English is the Word of God - even more transformative! Hostile groups are being transformed into peacemakers. They are learning to love God, and love each other. Only God can make this happen: this is the answer to prayer, the sword that cuts through war.

Many lives are being lost in car crimes and road accidents. Road deaths are a national crisis, with 134,000+ killed over 10 years. Vehicle crime hotspots are Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town, and Durban. Cars are hijacked to commit another crime, or exported into neighbouring countries. In spite of 18,900+ police deployed countrywide over Easter to keep road users safe and a road safety campaign, 510 people died between 29 March and 9 April. A motoring magazine reported: ‘South Africans have bad attitudes towards safe road use; education and enforcement will not stop them playing by their own rules. Without a change of attitude among road users and respect for the law, efforts to decrease fatalities and crashes by a noticeable margin will fall flat.’ See