Burundi: Vulnerable refugees need our prayers
30 Jul 2015
Burundians living in refugee camps in neighbouring Rwanda are being recruited to join Rwandan rebel groups. Several people in Mahama refugee camp in Eastern Rwanda have reported being approached to join the group fighting the Burundi government. They said dozens of men had left the camp. Meanwhile in Tanzania, Burundi refugee facilities are at breaking point, and more refugees are expected to arrive as tensions spill over about the disputed presidential election. The UNHCR reported that 79,000+ Burundians have arrived in Tanzania since May. The UN estimates 500 Burundians fleeing unrest are now arriving in Tanzania every day. Médecins Sans Frontières reported that the Nyarugusu refugee camp is simply not coping with the number of new arrivals. Aid agencies are struggling to provide food, water, shelter and healthcare to those in need, with a promised second camp yet to be built. See also: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/burundi-refugees-lured-join-rebel-group-150724095201444.html
A heavy monsoon is affecting various parts of Pakistan. Medical check-ups and free drugs are being provided to flood-affected people at medical camps, and ration packs and tents are being distributed. The Army is rescuing people by boats and helicopters, and are setting up free medical camps to provide further medicine packs and ration packs. Medicines were provided to 1,000 people, and 150 ration packs distributed. A further 522 people were rescued in Muzaffargarh. Hundreds of thousands have had to flee their homes and tens of thousands are now completely homeless. Link roads and bridges have been swept away, leaving families stranded. Thousands of acres of crops ready to harvest have been destroyed, leaving farmers without a source of income and unable to feed their families. Christian Aid, Norwegian Church Aid, and Community World Service Asia are closely monitoring the situation. See also: http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/areas-of-concern/monsoon-floods-hit-pakistan.aspx
Egypt: Christians still being persecuted
30 Jul 2015
Egyptian believers were asked, ‘Have the constitutional changes adopted in 2014 made any difference to you?’ The responses in Cairo were positive where a great deal of security is provided. However outside Cairo people told of attacks on their homes and businesses, with many families having to flee to safe havens. But even in ‘safe’ places they receive threatening messages and phone calls, and Christian girls are kidnapped for ransom. Religious extremism and Egypt's informal legal process of ‘reconciliation sessions’ can result in Christians being expelled from their communities as part of collective punishment when one person has been accused of wrongdoing. With a lack of government security or the support of religious figures, many fanatics push their agenda to cleanse whole villages and towns of Christians. Despite, or perhaps because of, persecution the Egyptian Church is growing. Pray for them as they unite and become a powerful witness to God’s love. See: http://www.wazala.org/
Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III, head of the largest Catholic community in Syria, says money and weapons given to moderate groups are reputedly being used by IS in the struggle against President Bashar al-Assad. The Patriarch’s comments came after Mr Assad said on Sunday 26 July that the opposition’s increased strength meant he could not fight on every front against IS, the Al-Nusra Front and other militant groups. Hitting out against the West’s Middle East policies, Patriarch Gregorios said, ‘If the West helps moderates in Syria it is helping IS in an indirect way. Giving money or arms to the weak, moderate groups gets into the hands of the powerful militant groups the next day. We see this happening all the time.’ His comments come after the US-led coalition delivered military aid to help Syrian Kurdish forces fighting against IS in Kobani on the Turkish border and offered support to the Free Syrian Army despite concerns that the aid was being passed - and even sold - to extremist groups.
Syria: ‘IS-free zone’
30 Jul 2015
The United States intends creating IS-free corridors in southern and northern Syria, and needs Turkey's cooperation on the northern corridor. The perceived goal is to wedge IS between the two corridors, erode it with air attacks and then eliminate it with offensive ground operations by the Free Syrian Army, the PYD militia, and Assad’s forces, with close US air support. The zone will be 100 kilometres wide and 40 kilometres deep. Calling it an ‘IS-free zone’ sends a message about its purpose and alleviates concerns of Russia, Iran and the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. Ankara security says talks are ongoing on the status of the Kurdish PYD under the new plan and the nature of Turkish army actions inside Syria.
Iran’s Christians face persecution daily, and choosing to accept Jesus Christ means living a life of secrecy and constant fear. SAT-7, a Christian satellite television service to the Middle East and North Africa, created ‘God and the Persecuted’ to equip Iran’s house churches to persevere through persecution and develop techniques of endurance. The hosts are Rev Albert Aslan and Rev Edward Hovsepian. They use the Gospel and stories from church history to encourage underground believers in Iran through the television program. Each episode focuses on a topic relating to modern-day persecution, using stories from centuries of church history to show that this isn’t the first time that Christians have faced severe persecution, nor will it be the last. Pray for the Iranian house churches to be strong and continue to grow as they face adversity in a godly way.
An arrest followed the ‘rescue’ of five human trafficking victims in Belfast last week (see last week’s Prayer-Alert). A man was detained in the city and is being quizzed by specialist detectives about human trafficking, labour exploitation, gangmaster offences, and money laundering. Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) Human Trafficking Unit worked with colleagues in HM Revenue and Customs, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, the Health and Safety Executive and local PSNI officers to carry out the rescue operation. Sixteen other men and women aged between 18 and 45, believed to have been trafficked from eastern Europe, were also rescued from agricultural premises in south Armagh during a separate raid. The victims are being cared for by Migrant Help and Women's Aid as part of the Department of Justice's human trafficking support network.
Police launched an operation on Tuesday after reports of council employees being involved in drugs misuse at a number of West Lothian Council premises. The men, aged 49, 43 and 34, were charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act and will be reported to the procurator fiscal. A spokesman for the council said it was ‘co-operating fully’ and it was not appropriate to comment further. Both drug and alcohol misuse are major public health problems in Scotland. On 30 June NHS Scotland reported, ‘The illicit use of opiates, benzodiazepines and psychostimulants causes significant problems within Scotland. These problems can be social in nature (crime, unemployment, family breakdown and homelessness) or associated with health problems (dependency, overdosing, mental health problems, injecting-related injuries and the transmission of communicable diseases).’ See: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Drugs-and-Alcohol-Misuse/Drugs-Misuse/