Displaying items by tag: displaced people

Pastor Samuel lived in the north of Burkina Faso but had to flee from extremist attacks on his church and members of the Christian community. ‘We don’t know who the attackers are, nor do we know who is sponsoring them,’ he said. ‘All we know is that they attack Christians. These attacks have shattered the lives of our people. We are troubled and filled with pain over the deaths of our family members.’ There are no open churches in parts of the northeast. Pastor Samuel lives in a camp for internally displaced people, praying with others there and encouraging them to not lose hope. Open Doors estimates there are over a million internally displaced people, and many are Christians. Believers who have converted from Islam also face significant pressure and opposition from their communities. Families may reject Christian converts, and new believers may be pressured to renounce their new faith.

Afghanistan and its neighbours have spent decades relying on the US and NATO to resolve the country's problems. Wikipedia reports there are up to 18,000 Afghan Christians (3,300 from a Muslim background) practising their faith secretly in the country. Displacement and suffering experienced by those forced to flee their homes and communities is not new for the brave people of this land. Escalating conflict recently has resulted in thousands of new displaced people being registered each week. Around 327,000 people were displaced in 2020, 80% of them women and children. Now that foreign troops are almost gone, security and peace are going with them. The Russians and Chinese fear the further destabilisation of Afghanistan by the Taliban will spill over to five neighbouring Central Asian countries which have their own history of jihadist violence.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said they will continue to work around the clock assisting thousands of people evacuated from the shores of Palma after violent attacks by insurgents. At the seaport of Pemba MSF teams have been assisting refugees who are scared, traumatised, hungry and desperate. Project director Luiz Guimaraes said, ‘We have three mobile clinics around Pemba city. We provide for 400 to 450 consultations per day.’ He said that out of fear people fled, walking long distances on foot without food and shelter. Teams are also assisting with water and sanitation, as people need clean water to drink. ‘In this situation, they drink dirty water, and they have a lot of diseases caused by waterborne pathogens.’ He said that they had also implemented mental health services to help people cope with their traumatic experiences. Pray for God’s peace to comfort the refugees.

The Philippines is used to powerful storms, but this year preparations are being complicated by Covid-19 which has killed 7,221 people so far. On 1 November, in preparation for Typhoon Goni, 361,000 people were evacuated to tents inside school gymnasiums and government-run evacuation centres. Coronavirus patients are treated in isolation tents. Goni damaged 90% of the buildings in Virac, the first town it struck. Pray for the 70,000 residents who have lost so much, including lives. Pray for those in several other towns still inaccessible on 5 November. Pray for successful relief efforts being complicated by the pandemic. Pray for the 370,000 displaced people not knowing what they will find when they return home. Tens of thousands of homes are completely destroyed. Goni is the worst typhoon to hit the Philippines in seven years. With communication not yet completely restored it is difficult to obtain information. Pray for speedy repairs to electricity, water, and cellular networks.

It has been almost ten years since the horrific war began. The Syrian army has retaken most of the land (except Idlib). Many believe that what happens here could be the culmination of the entire war. Recent devastating airstrikes and ground operations have forced millions to run again. But to where? No nation wants them. Refugee camps are full, and it is winter. This has the potential to be the worst refugee and humanitarian crisis in Syria yet. An incredibly fragile ceasefire was declared, bringing a tense calm. But for these traumatised masses, it was too late. Bad news has been coming out of Syria for so long, we hardly even notice any more. But Jesus does. Let us not give up praying for peace in the nation and in every heart in Syria.

Violent extremists have spread across Burkina Faso. Traditional hunters and crime-fighting vigilantes have filled a governance vacuum and add a complexity to the crisis. A new group provides locals with weapons and two weeks’ training to combat jihadists. Many worry it will make matters worse. National troops are implicated in countless rights abuses, while French counter-terrorism forces have little impact. A jihadist attack on a church recently left 24+ people dead in a crisis that has displaced over 750,000 people since the beginning of last year. This insecurity has left displaced people in rural areas outside the reach of aid groups - and a lack of clear information on which militants are operating where - has made it difficult for humanitarians to negotiate access to affected people. Most attacks are attributed to groups linked to al-Qaeda and IS, with a patchwork of self-defence gangs and poorly equipped soldiers also being responsible for abuses.

Syrian forces backed by Russian fighter jets recaptured key government positions as Turkey warned of swift revenge if more of its troops are attacked. Syria's army is trying to capture all of the country's last rebel-held territory. Consequently, more people have fled from fighting in Syria over the past 10 weeks than at any other time in the nine-year-old conflict. Pray for all the internally displaced Syrians from western Aleppo’s countryside, fleeing with the only belongings that they can carry, uncertain if they will ever return to normal life. Pray for those who have sheltered in the city of Idlib. On 11 February two UN agencies said it could become a graveyard if hostilities continue. Currently Syrian government forces are shelling their way northwards. Turkey, which backs the rebels and is fearful of additional refugees, has retaliated militarily. Displaced civilians are caught in between. 700,000 people have fled since December, mostly women and children.

ABUJA, NIGERIA –  Chuck Holton of CBN visited a refugee camp for people who have been internally displaced from their villages in the north and to the west. 'There are about 2.5 million internally displaced people within Nigeria, and that makes this one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world right now. And the thing that all of these people have in common is that they are Christians,' said Chuck.

Much of Boko Haram's terror is directed at Christians. Enoch Yeohanna was in a village invaded by them. "They started with burning churches, killing the pastors, and killing the members. Shutting them down," he said.

“On 29 September 2014 was the day that they attacked my village.  Around ten I had a call that they have killed my dad. They asked him to deny Christ and when he refused they cut off his right hand. Then he refused [again], they cut to the elbow. In which he refused, before they shot him in the forehead, the neck, and chest," Yeohanna went on.

Many of the 1,500 Christians living in this camp have similar stories.

The Nigerian military has mounted large offensives against Boko Haram in recent months, and even with heavy losses on both sides, there seems to be no end in sight. Despite the hardships, these displaced Christians are firm believers in the power of prayer.

"If there is peace, there is nothing that will stop us from going there," Enoch Yeohanna said.

"My faith has helped my prayer life and I believe the prayers of the saints around the world have helped us make it through these tough times,"

Enoch's neighbour, Aisha Walla said -"My hope is that God will bring all those displaced back to their homes so we can worship God together and live in peace."

Full story at:https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2019/august/when-he-refused-to-deny-christ-they-cut-off-his-right-hand-nigerian-christians-describe-horrific-attacks-by-boko-haram

Pray: for the thousands of families displaced in this disaster, largely Christian – that they will find strength to endure these times of hardship and that they will soon be able to return to their homes safely.

Pray: for those living with the traumas and shocking memories, for healing of their minds and peace.

Pray: that those aligned with Boko Haram will find Jesus, repent and turn from their wicked ways.

17 June 2019 marks five years since IS told Christians living in Mosul to ‘convert, pay or die’. Three thousand Christian families were among the half million citizens who left Mosul. Most of them fled to the city of Erbil or to the Kurdish region in the north of Iraq. Only 25 Christian families stayed in the city after the ultimatum - those who were too old, ill, or disabled to flee. Open Doors started working through local churches and partners to support internally displaced people, giving humanitarian aid and providing monthly food packages. By 2015 they were employing 86 local people, distributing food to 75,000 people, and handing out Bibles, Christian materials, hygiene baskets, clothing vouchers and support for medical expenses. Next they gave churches training on trauma care, and provided three trauma centres.

Italy intends to close all ports to NGO ships rescuing migrants crossing from Africa to Europe. The UN said that the decree intensifies the hostile climate and xenophobia against migrants. Meanwhile over 40 migrants from the German aid group Sea-Watch remained off the island of Lampedusa waiting to disembark its passengers. There are thousands looking for a new start after difficult journeys. In the middle of his nursing training, Hassan was drafted for five years of Eritrean military service, so, with his twin brother walked 550 miles overland to Khartoum, lived in a UN refugee camp for four months and hid in a truck caravan for 2,200 miles to Libya. Eight months of hard labour gave them enough for fake papers and a rubber dinghy holding 45 adults that crashed on a Sicilian beach. They managed to travel to Denmark, applied for refugee status and are hoping, eventually, to join friends in the UK.  See https://prayercast.com/displaced-people-in-europe.html