Displaying items by tag: Africa

South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa has told Vladimir Putin the war in Ukraine must end. His remarks came when he met Mr Putin on 17 June as part of an African peace mission of seven African countries. President Volodymyr Zelensky had already told the delegation that he would not enter talks with Russia while they occupied Ukrainian land. Mr Ramaphosa also called for both parties to return their prisoners of war, and said children removed by Russia should be returned home. As the African delegation called for the return of children to their families, Putin interrupted their speech, claiming, ‘Children are sacred. We moved them out of the conflict zone, saving their lives and health’. Mr Ramaphosa also warned Mr Putin of the impact of the war on Africa and said it should be settled by diplomacy.

The 16 June murder of 45 Christian schoolchildren is the latest anti-Christian atrocity committed by ADF. They were hacked to death, shot, or burned alive. Others were abducted. ADF pledges loyalty to IS and has slaughtered hundreds of Christians in north-eastern DRC. Nigeria’s Middle Belt has seen over 1,500 Christians killed in the last 18 months. In May IS released a video of 20 Nigerian Christians being murdered. Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) have beheaded thousands of Christians on social media. ISM celebrates building its Islamic province ‘on heaps of Christian corpses and rivers of their blood’. A Middle East Media Research Institute report stated that IS and al-Qaeda, having been beaten back from Middle East strongholds, have found new pastures for genocide in Africa. They follow the same tactics of mass killings, execution-style beheadings, and burning churches, celebrated in slickly produced publications and social media campaigns designed to entice the next generation of bloodthirsty Islamist terrorists.

Key issues remain strongly contested despite draft laws agreed in Morocco by Libya’s rival legislative bodies. Libya has been fraught with conflict for more than a decade since Muammar Gaddafi’s removal during the Arab Spring, prompting rival factions to compete for power. By 2015 two legislative bodies had formed and struggles over Libya’s rule and wealth have continued since then. A 6+6 committee drawn from Libya’s two rival legislative bodies – the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) and the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS) – agreed on 6 June on draft laws for presidential and parliamentary elections, inching forward in the country’s current political crisis. The UN, while welcoming progress, says key issues remain strongly contested, blocking the road to a final settlement and harbouring the potential to spark a new crisis in the divided country. The democratic process needs to reach an agreement on the eligibility criteria for presidential candidates.

Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus were abducted by Boko Haram in April 2014 and rescued on 21 April 2023. They were forced to marry Boko Haram fighters three times as one soldier after another was killed in the fighting. Hauwa had 4 children and has since given birth to a 5th. Esther had a one-year-old baby when she was found. Give thanks for the rescue of Hauwa and Esther. Pray that both young women will recover from their lengthy, traumatic ordeal, also asking for the Lord’s blessing upon their young children and that He will remove the scars from their harrowing start to life. Ask the Lord to administer His healing touch on these families as they seek to rebuild their lives by trusting in Him.

In the city of Maradi, a growing number of Fulani men and women are encountering Jesus, but it’s enraging Fulani Muslims, who use different tactics to persecute Christians. In response, Open Doors local partners ran persecution survival training for 120 new believers. ‘Thanks to this training, my eyes are opened to how to respond to persecution,’ says Lydia. ‘I now understand that these are the footsteps that Jesus Christ left for all those who believe in Him. Persecution is inevitable, but we must stand strong, and we should pray for our persecutors.’ ‘I am blessed with the Word of God; I have strategies to overcome the persecution,’ adds Zeinabou. ‘I never knew anything about persecution response, but now my eyes are open - I am more than victorious, I must overcome persecution because Jesus is with me, and He will never let me down.’

Over 90,000 people have crossed into Chad from Darfur as Sudan became gripped by war when fighting began between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on April 15th. Amid the chaos, fighting also reignited in the west of the country that is still haunted by 20 years of conflict between Arab militias and non-Arab groups - including the Arab Rizeigat tribe and the non-Arab Masalit - fuelled by competition for dwindling resources. At least 500 people died across Darfur in the first weeks of fighting, according to Sudan’s health ministry, while over 250,000 people in West Darfur were displaced. The figures are likely to have increased since they were reported before a total communication blackout in el-Geneina on 19 May. el-Geneina suffered two waves of violence at the end of April and in mid-May. They both started when Arab militias stormed it, exploiting the army’s non-interference.

Evangelist Daniel Kolenda’s Facebook post on 10 May stated: 11 crusades, 11 cities in Zambia in two weeks. 55 meetings, resulting in over one million documented decisions for Christ! Countless miracle healings! An entire nation shaken with the Gospel! In a YouTube video, Daniel shared, ‘Souls have been saved, healings have taken place, and hearts have been transformed through powerful corporate worship.’ In one testimony on GOD TV a man wheelchair bound for 13 years joined the crusade and was healed. He walked again. The evangelist said. ‘The power of God was felt by everyone as they witnessed the miracle of this man walking to the stage and leaving his wheelchair behind. God wants to save His lost children.’ May this good news remind us that God is alive. 

It is a fraught situation for Christians trapped in Khartoum since Sudan’s civil war erupted on 15 April between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias. Pastor Desta said living in his area was becoming almost impossible. Fire burned down his church and the local market. ‘Every two days we walk to a distant district to get water and provisions. Most of our neighbours have left. The other day two friends and I took the church car to get water and provisions, then RSF members searched and questioned us. It is getting awful. We are waiting for a couple of days. If it gets worse, we will leave. Many are saying that intense fighting means escape has become too dangerous now that RSF members surround those who remain. RSF uses nearby homes for shelter; they are targeted by the army. Indirectly, we are under siege. Nowhere is safe.’

Children were the first to be starved to death in the final days of a Christian doomsday cult in the vast Shakahola farm, near Malindi. Police investigating mass suicide have exhumed 201 bodies so far. A former deputy preacher of the cult, Titus Katana, said children were killed first, ‘ordered to fast in the sun so they would die faster.’ Women and men were next in the suicide plan. Katana, who is helping police with the investigation, described the brutal treatment of children who were shut in huts for five days without food or water: ‘Then they wrapped them in blankets and buried them, even the ones still breathing.’ Cult followers were told they would reach heaven faster if they starved to death. Official autopsies found signs of starvation, suffocation and beatings. Over 600 members of the cult are still missing.

Tearfund is calling on the international community to act fast to save lives after flash floods killed over 400 and left thousands homeless in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Torrential rain triggered landslides and caused four rivers to flood, hindering access routes and making it harder for aid agencies to reach the region. The death toll will rise without urgent intervention. It took rescuers two days to find a way to reach a devastated area because landslides and collapsed bridges blocked the road they wanted to use. Finally, they had to use the lake and a boat. Churches, schools and over 2,000 homes are destroyed, and more than a thousand people are missing. The fear is that the number of missing people will turn into deaths. It is a time of mourning , and action is needed to bring clean water, toilets, sanitation facilities and food.