Displaying items by tag: Africa

French president Emmanuel Macron has announced the withdrawal of French troops from Niger and the repatriation of the French ambassador, following a military coup in the country. He stated that France would end its military cooperation with the de facto authorities in Niger, citing their lack of commitment to fighting terrorism. The decision comes after weeks of tensions with the junta and a deteriorating situation. Macron specified that the soldiers stationed in Niger would return to France in an orderly manner over the coming weeks and months, with the goal of completing the withdrawal by the end of the year. The announcement was met with joy in Niamey, the capital of Niger, as thousands of people rallied in support. Macron's decisions were made in coordination with Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum, who remains under house arrest, and leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Kenya has pledged to lead a multinational security force in Haiti, responding to a plea from that country’s prime minister. Haiti has suffered from gang violence for decades, but the violence has escalated since the assassination of the president in 2021. Kenya will send a thousand police, aiming to lead a force which will neutralise the armed gangs, protect civilians, and bring about peace, security and order. A number of other countries are expected to contribute security personnel. The force will have to confront armed gangs who control, or regularly terrorise, swathes of the capital Port-au-Prince, and often outgun the local police. Critics doubt the ability of the Kenyan police to take on these gangs in a very different environment, not least because of a language barrier (Haiti is predominantly French-speaking).

Selling mobile phone accessories in a small shop in Gabon's capital Libreville, Doles Gabriel sees coup leader General Brice Oligui Ngeuma as someone who has unshackled the nation from the chains of his former boss - President Ali Bongo. ‘Moses was educated in the house of Pharaoh, but God appointed him to liberate the people of Egypt from slavery. This is what is happening in the house of Bongo’, the 23-year-old said. Her comments reflect the joy - and hopes - of many people who had lived under the Bongo dynasty. With an iron fist, the family have ruled oil-rich Gabon since 1967, when Omar Bongo became president in 1967. When he died in 2009 his son Ali succeeded him. He appointed the general head of the elite Republican Guard, in charge of his own security. But on 30 August, shortly after Mr Bongo was announced as the winner of disputed elections, the general seized power from the man he was supposed to protect. In a new development, on 20 September Gabon was partially suspended from the Commonwealth, as its foreign ministers said that they ‘strongly condemned the unconstitutional removal of the elected government from office’. See

SAT-7 Christian broadcasters are sharing prayers across the Middle East for Morocco, after a major earthquake killed over 2,900 people, with many thousands more injured, homeless, and grieving. They seek to bring the Lord’s comfort through TV programmes and digital media across the High Atlas mountain region. Rescue efforts are complicated. Damaged homes and infrastructure plus aftershocks have left survivors outdoors. Ask God to reassure the fearful who don’t know when or where they can sleep safely. Pray for God’s peace to cover those who are trying to make contact with missing relatives and friends across the country. Since 11 September, SAT-7 has used its different channels and platforms to call for and share prayers for the Moroccan people from Christians in neighbouring Algeria and Turkey. SAT-7’s content advisor said, ‘Asking for prayers in support of the Moroccan people is an important early response. People need comfort, care and connection with others during times of disaster. People need to know that others care and feel for them.’

After the earthquake rattled through Morocco, Help The Persecuted’s field ministry team mobilised immediately into the mountains to meet the overwhelming need. What they found shocked them. Most homes have been flattened to rubble. Roads are completely destroyed, cutting the most remote areas off from any sort of aid. Those fortunate enough to have survived are completely traumatised and in desperate need of food, water, intensive medical care, and shelter. The team distributed funds and basic relief supplies to those who had lost everything, praying with each recipient. They aided in rescuing some from the rubble. They are making lists of key supplies, hoping to provide survivors in the most remote areas with all they need to survive the coming days and weeks. The devastation goes much deeper than tangible need. These people watched their family members die before their eyes and could do absolutely nothing. Missionaries listened to their sufferings and prayed with them, but they will need so much more care.

Tens of thousands of people are dead in Libya after a storm caused two dams to burst and four bridges to collapse, releasing a tsunami of water as people slept. Much of Derna City is under water and up to 20,000 people may have died, based on the number of districts completely destroyed. About 10,000 are missing from streets swept away in the torrents. Bodies are being recovered from the sea, in the valleys, and from under buildings. Rescue teams have arrived from Egypt, Tunisia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the UK. Pray for good communication between volunteers, all speaking different languages, and that the two rival Libyan governments will successfully coordinate relief efforts. The devastation is becoming more tragic every minute. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) does not currently work in the flooded areas, but a team of emergency medical workers has arrived in Derna, to assess needs and donate emergency medical kits and body bags to Libya’s Red Crescent. See

A total of 104 government and private higher education institutions in Sudan, as well as research centres and the National Fund for Student Welfare have been damaged or destroyed since April, when the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces became embroiled in a war. All institutions in Khartoum state, where the capital is also located, as well as several in other states, have been affected. The scale of destruction in Sudan’s higher education sector was posted on Facebook on 27 August by the country’s ministry of higher education and scientific research. The ministry’s own offices were damaged in a fire that affected several floors. After several years of disruption because of political volatility and the pandemic, UNICEF has launched the Learning Passport, an online and offline e-learning platform, almost free of charge, to enable schoolchildren to take part in flexible learning in different parts of Sudan.

Burkina Faso is shaken by political conflict and military coups. ‘Attacks against Christians are common. Many don’t know if they will survive another day. They see loved ones beheaded, raped or reduced to sexual slavery’, said Father Rouamba. He said that Christians are affected on a daily basis by the appalling actions of Al-Qaeda and IS. Terrorists began targeting Christians in Kompienga Province, east Burkina Faso, around Pentecost this year. ‘If people refuse to convert to Islam, they are forced to leave, but as the roads are blocked, they are left to wander around in the forest with no possessions, and many die due to lack of food. These are real tragedies that are not reported in the media.’ Father Rouamba wants to set up support units, offering spiritual and psychological support. Christians who had, to some extent, abandoned religious practice before the crisis are returning to their faith at a time when terrorists are trying to extinguish Christianity.

A climate summit in Nairobi has seen dozens of world leaders discuss climate solutions for Africa’s 1.3 billion people affected by climate change. Africa is the fastest-growing continent, and the most vulnerable to climate change. 85% of the worst-hit countries in the climate crisis are African. The Daily Nation newspaper proclaimed this gathering ‘Africa's moment.’ Kenya’s president Ruto came to power with climate change relief and accountability cornerstones of his foreign policy. Addressing the conference, he claimed, ‘Climate change is crimping Africa’s economic growth annually by 5 to 15%, despite Africa accounting for less than 4% of global emissions.’ The intention was for delegates to come to see resource-rich African states as crucial stakeholders in the green economy. Africa’s abundance of natural resources only receives 3% of global energy investments. The summit’s outcome sees nations promising financial solutions to climate-induced food insecurity, finding technical resolutions to food scarcity and storage, and making African markets attractive to investors.

On 31 August a building being used as ‘informal’ housing for some 200 homeless people caught fire with at least 73 people dying. They lived in a maze of shacks and makeshift structures inside the five-storey building. Seven victims were children, 52 are injured, and the death toll is expected to rise. Johannesburg has widespread poverty and joblessness, and 15,000 homeless people. The head of Human Settlements said some of the victims may have been renting from criminal gangs illegally collecting fees. Johannesburg’s mayor said that the city administration is aware that many such ‘hijacked’ buildings exist and are rented out by cartels preying on the vulnerable. Because most of them are in the hands of cartels and the city suffers from chronic power shortages, residents resort to candles for light and wood fires for heat. This fire demonstrates a chronic criminalised housing problem.