"A year after the kidnapping of 232 Nigerian girls, Australian Stephen Davis still says his contacts indicate government complicity. A year ago April 14, Boko Haram kidnapped 275 girls from the government secondary school in the Christian-dominated town of Chibok, Borno State.

Students reported to the Chibok Government Secondary Boarding School on Sunday, April 13, to take an exam on Tuesday morning, April 15, despite the fact that the government had closed schools across the state because it could not offer protection. At about 11pm armed Boko Haram insurgents broke into the school. They burned the administration block and classrooms. Dressed in military uniforms, they told the girls that Chibok was under attack but that they were there to protect them. The girls believed them and obeyed their orders to mount the vehicles outside.

Forty three girls escaped, some during the attack at the school; others during the journey to a camp in the Sambisa forest, where the captive girls were initially kept.

One year on, the 232 girls taken that night from Chibok remain in rebel custody. It is not clear where they are being held or what circumstances they had been facing this past year. The first of the babies born to the girls since their captivity arrived in mid-February this year. Four girls who managed to escape after their arrival at the Boko Haram camp reported that they were raped almost on a daily basis. They said those who did not cooperate with the rebels faced severe punishment. Some other girls who were captured before the Chibok girls, and who managed to escape after varying time in captivity, said some girls were killed because they would not renounce their Christian faith.  

WE THANK THE LORD THAT SOME OF THE CAPTIVES HAVE ESCAPED. LET US HOLD UP IN PRAYER THOSE WHO ARE STILL SUFFERING AND PRAY FOR THEIR FAITH TO BE STRONG.

The Nigerian Government has been under harsh criticism for its handling of the crisis. Critics say it has not done enough to secure the girls' release or to support their families."
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Let's be in prayer for the rest of these young Christian girls to be released and for the government of Nigeria, under the new president, to discover and end all complicity with Boko Haram so that they can be rescued and restored to their families soon.

Excerpted from Stratfor, March 26, 2015

The events of the past week have created a lot of discussion about the Islamic State's expansion. First there was the March 18 armed assault at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis that resulted in the deaths of 23 people, 20 of who were foreign tourists. Then there was the March 20 triple mosque bombing in Sanaa, Yemen, that resulted in at least 142 deaths. Finally, on March 23, there were rumors that a brigade of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb fighters may be defecting to the Islamic State and that some al Shabaab members in Somalia also want to join the group.

These developments follow the announcement earlier this month that Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram has joined the Islamic State, as well as earlier announcements that jihadists in Pakistan, Algeria, Libya and Egypt have joined the group.

The seemingly rapid spread of the Islamic State has caused some concern, and to help understand the group's rise, we first need to understand its appeal.

After the 9/11 attacks, al Qaeda became the leading global jihadist brand. Following al Qaeda's success - and a massive public relations success it was - a number of existing jihadist groups became al Qaeda franchises in an effort to benefit from its popular brand. These included Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Jamaat al-Tawhid and Jihad group in Iraq, which in 2004 became al Qaeda in the Land of the Two Rivers. After a series of name changes, the group would eventually break away from al Qaeda in 2014 to become the Islamic State.

Other organizations that adopted the al Qaeda brand include the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat in Algeria, which in 2006 became al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and several smaller jihadist groups in Yemen that joined together in 2009 under the leadership of Nasir al-Wahayshi to become al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Adopting the al Qaeda brand was seen as a way to rejuvenate the existing jihadist groups by gaining the additional attention, funding and recruits that came with the al Qaeda name. In some places, the strategy worked. For example, foreign recruits and funding flowed into the Iraqi al Qaeda franchise following its entry into the al Qaeda constellation. Indeed, the franchise gained so much funding and manpower that it siphoned off resources from the al Qaeda core to the point where the core leadership had to ask al-Zarqawi for financial help in 2005. But in other places, the al Qaeda branding was simply ineffective; for example, Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia, which changed its name to Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad, withered away.

As we have discussed for the past decade now, once the United States and its allies focused their power on al Qaeda, the group became severely degraded and its ability to launch attacks was heavily affected. As franchise groups in places such as Iraq grew in power and influence, the core struggled for relevance. This struggle was not only on the physical battlefield, but also on the ideological battlefield. There was a lot of ideological tension between the al Qaeda core and some of the new franchises. As early as 2005, this tension became visible from the interactions between core leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and al-Zarqawi. There was also tension within the franchises, especially al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, over whether to continue following the al Qaeda ideology.

The al Qaeda core's influence had diminished so much that by mid-2013, the Islamic State felt it could defy al-Zawahiri. The group split from al Qaeda in January 2014 and declared the establishment of the caliphate on June 29, 2014.

One of the primary factors that contributed to al Qaeda's decline was the frustration that many jihadists felt over al Qaeda's empty claims and threats. The group repeatedly threatened to strike the United States with an attack more devastating than the ones on 9/11, generating a lot of excitement in the jihadist realm. However, as the years passed and al Qaeda was unable to deliver on its threats, the group increasingly became seen as hollow. Indeed, the al Qaeda core has not been able to strike the U.S. homeland since 2001...

Many people have expressed surprise that the atrocities committed by the Islamic State have not alienated more jihadists. This is because the transcendent purpose of the Islamic State is so powerful that it overrides any qualms about how it is to be achieved. To quote leadership guru Simon Sinek, "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe." The Islamic State is pursuing a "why" that has a very powerful appeal to grassroots jihadists around the globe. Its barbaric actions prove that its members are true believers who do not care about any consequences or repercussions.

This is a very powerful force that has an incredible pull - especially on the marginalized individuals who tend to flock to cults, gangs and radical groups. We are seeing this pull not only in the young aspiring fighters and brides that are traveling to Syria, but also in the grassroots jihadists who are practicing leaderless resistance and conducting attacks in other places. However, while the appeal is powerful, it is only powerful for a very limited segment of people. The Islamic State's brutality and attacks on other Muslims have alienated many of their intended audience.

One impact of the Islamic State's appeal that goes beyond branding is that certain groups, such as Boko Haram before it actually pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in August, are attempting to copy its method of operations. This has included kidnapping large numbers of girls, attacking Muslims declared to be apostates and declaring an Islamic Caliphate after seizing a large piece of territory. Recent suicide bombings of mosques by Islamic State supporters in Yemen also appear to have been influenced by the Islamic State's actions in Iraq and Syria. Such attacks are a way of differentiating Islamic State followers from al Qaeda adherents.  

The Islamic state also has shown a mastery of social media that eclipses al Qaeda's. This social media activity, along with the group's dramatic progress in mid-2014, has attracted funding and foreign volunteers. It has also helped motivate a number of grassroots terrorists to conduct attacks in the West. It remains to be seen if the surge in grassroots attacks in recent months is a temporary phenomenon or if it will be sustainable.

It is important to understand that not even a year has passed since the Islamic State declared the establishment of its caliphate. The shine is only now beginning to wear off as the group, which promotes itself as an inexorable force blessed by Allah, experiences significant and repeated defeats on the battlefield. Its leaders will attempt to deflect some of these defeats through apocalyptic ideology that claims the group will suffer heavy losses until a small core of true believers is led by the Prophet Isa, which is Arabic for Jesus, in a final battle at Dabiq in Syria, where they will finally defeat the "crusader forces" led by the Antichrist.

This justification may convince some of the most-hardcore idealists, but it will probably not be accepted globally. The others will become disenchanted once they realize the Islamic State will not be able to deliver on its promises. There have been many reports of foreign fighters being executed for attempting to leave the Islamic State and return home, so disillusionment may be starting to take root and spread through the ranks of the group's fighters. Such executions will even serve to further the spread of disenchantment...

In most cases, pre-existing organizations or splinters of a jihadist organization are rebranding themselves as Islamic State franchises rather than new groups forming to claim the name. There are numerous examples of this: Jund al-Khalifa in Algeria (a splinter from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb); the Sinai faction of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis in Egypt; Boko Haram; some elements of the Pakistani Taliban; the Dagestani faction of the Caucasus Emirates; and a faction of Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines.

As we noted above, radical groups have a natural tendency to fracture, especially after they haven proven themselves ineffective in making progress toward their stated goals. However, the Islamic State's emergence and its success in Iraq have dramatically accelerated this process. Moreover, the Islamic State's scathing and repeated public attacks on al Qaeda's leadership will make it very difficult to gloss over the differences and reconsolidate the jihadist movement unless the Islamic State can do so by force, which is not likely, given the constraints the group faces.

Jihadist groups' tendency to splinter means that, rather than adding to the jihadist realm, the Islamic State is siphoning off former al Qaeda jihadists or picking up jihadists al Qaeda did not want or who did not like al Qaeda. In many places such as Syria, Pakistan and Libya, these Islamic State franchise groups have even engaged in combat against other jihadists. This means that as jihadist groups splinter and weaken, and as jihadists kill other jihadists, the global jihadist movement will experience a net loss rather than a victory.

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Prayer Concerns from this analysis:

1 Let's give thanks to the Lord for the ways jihadists are becoming disillusioned with Al Qaeda and ISIS and in some cases are even fighting against each other. This is answered prayer!

2 Pray for the continued splintering, weakening, and defeat of radical Islamic groups like ISIS, Boko Haram (Nigeria), Al Shabaab (Somalia) and other such violent insurgents.

3 Pray that their access to social media and other forms of publicity will be severed and that their funding and support will be cut off. Also that the flow of volunteer fighters will be stopped so that these movements will collapse from within and without.

4 Pray for the international coalition as well as local authorities and their militaries to be united and effective in combating and overcoming these armed militants.

5 Let's trust God to set many of the jihadists free from their failed, false Islamic ideology and that they will come to know the Lord and serve Him with all their hearts.

Over the past months we have been praying for four people in prison in North Korea and China for the sake of the Gospel.  South Korean Pastor Kim Jung-Wook is serving a life-sentence in North Korea for his efforts to spread the Good News inside North Korea.  Elderly (71 years old) Korean-American, Peter Hahn, has been in detention in Tumen, China since last year.  He operated a technical high school and had a number of projects going in North Korea.  We have just recently learned that he has now been formerly arrested, charged with embezzlement and is now awaiting trial.  The other two people are a Canadian couple, Kevin and Julia Garratt, who ran a coffee shop in Dandong, China and provided humanitarian assistance in North Korea.  They also organized prayer for North Korea.  The latest on them is that Julia has been released from detention, praise God, but only on bail while Kevin was moved to a high security prison.  Both are charged with spying.  Please keep all four of these brave souls, who are suffering for the sake of the Gospel, in your prayers.

Perhaps the gravest concern currently for the people of North Korea is what is called the "barley hump," the period in the spring when last year's harvests are getting depleted and the new harvests have not started coming in yet.  This year is of particular concern because of the extended dry winter and now spring.  On the market front, there are some mixed messages coming out. On the one hand, restrictions on the age at which women are allowed to set up market booths have been eliminated allowing younger women greater freedom to engage in commerce.  On the other hand, travel restrictions have increased as officials everywhere are getting into the act of charging new fees and fines for various types of travel.  For those involved in the markets, they see this as just another fee that they have to absorb. At the same time, there is growing cynicism as people see officials flaunting illegal South Korean products that they have confiscated from the markets.

On the information technology front, North Korea does have an internet, but it is very limited in scope and availability.  Here is an interesting article discussing what the North Korean internet looks like.  There are a few people who do have access to the big Internet beyond North Korea's cyber-border.  They are engaged in collecting knowledge off the 'Net and storing it at a large new data facility being built on an unoccupied island in Pyongyang's Daedong river.

One ongoing prayer is that through access to outside knowledge sources the people of North Korea will continue to learn more about the world outside and understand their own situation better.  Lately, a South Korean song titled "Letter from a Private" has been growing in popularity among young men being drafted into the North Korean army...

Ben Torrey
Director
The Fourth River Project, Inc.
www.thefourthriver.org

After an international prayer initiative for North Korea just completed this week, many are sensing that a new day for a new, united Korea is coming. Let's continue to pray and trust God for the two countries to become one again soon! Here is an encouraging prophetic word that IPC colleague Dr. Leslie Keegel shared in line with this week's initiative:

"A word I received for the group gathering in April to pray for North Korea.

I see the Lord causing a major shift to take place in the supernatural realm over North Korea in answer to the prayers made for that great nation before and also resulting from the prayer initiative in April 2015. The shift in the supernatural realm will dispel the extreme darkness and unseat the principality of lies and deception. That nation has been built on a philosophy based on lies and deception. I see the Lord exposing the lies, confounding the spirit of deception and pulling down that stronghold which has kept people in that nation in darkness and spiritual blindness. The principality power which has blindfolded innocent people and brainwashed them to believe "what is not as if it exists", will be openly exposed and put to defeat and shame.

The falling of that Kingdom of Falsehood will not take place instantly or suddenly, it will be a drawn out process. Nevertheless though quietly, one stone after another from its foundation will be removed very unnoticeably. As those foundation stones are removed, the displacing of such will cause cracks to appear on the walls of the formidable strongholds of that empire. Little by little the cracks will widen and finally will crash with a loud bang shaking the whole earth. The impact of that fall on that nation and the surrounding nations will be huge and crippling economically and structurally. Thousands upon thousands will emerge out of darkness to see the marvelous light, to be confronted with the truth. The Church which now is in that great nation though hidden is strong and beautiful. She will emerge victorious to rejoice with the global body of Christ as the truth and her hope is finally and gloriously unveiled.

I wish to encourage all who have prayed for North Korea with fervency and in travail, keep on in your good work and do not faint. I know it has been hard, but the Lord says, continue to invest your resources of tears, sweat, emotions and strength for great will be your reward. You will see the Church of North Korea emerge to lead the rest of the body of Christ in the final assault of the kingdoms of darkness of Satan and his oppressive reign over the nations."

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA-March 3-6, 2015, at the Koreana Hotel, 28 international and 26 local leaders came together to plan for the World Youth Prayer Assembly (working title) pegged for 2016 or 2017 16 countries were represented in the meeting-South Korea, the United States of America, United Kingdom, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Romania, American Samoa, Nigeria, Fiji, Vietnam, India, and Germany. It was amazing how God has orchestrated the meeting and how He has supernaturally provided to see this happen.

To get everybody on the same page, Pastor Jerome Ocampo re-cast the vision for the WYPA to the young, global leaders present in the meeting. As these leaders made a commitment to run with the vision and to be a part of the International Dream Team (IDT), the planning and stirring team for the event, they were prayed for and anointed by the older generation of leaders who were present. What a beautiful sight of impartation to and empowerment of the next generation!

During the sessions, the IDT was grouped into teams for discussion. It was previously agreed that the WYPA will be an event "for the youth and by the youth." Thus, the young leaders were given a venue for their voices to be heard-- they gave input on the challenges the youth of today face, and generated ideas on how the WYPA can possibly address these issues and how it will be distinct from other gatherings for the youth. Among the challenges that surfaced across all group discussions are the lack of understanding of identity and purpose, and the lack of mentoring and fathering. One of the key elements the team thinks would be distinctive of the WYPA will be "learning conversations with fathers," apart from powerful moments of just enjoying being marked by the Presence of the Lord.

They also brainstormed on the form and content of the event. Some ideas that came up were having prayer tents for the "seven mountains of culture," plus another tent where 24/7 worship will take place. It is foreseen to be highly social and highly interactive; delegates will come out of the event well-connected with people from all over the world who are called to occupy the same "mountain" as theirs.

The team also threw out ideas for the event name, and among the names suggested, "UP: Unified Prayer/ United Prayer" is a direction the team is prayerfully considering going for.

Each of the IDT members were also asked to volunteer for committees they would like to be a part of for the event, aside from committing to mobilize from their respective nations and regions. A faith goal of bringing 1,254 delegates was generated from the commitment of the IDT alone! Faith for fund-raising was also challenged as each member believed for a specific amount to raise for the event.

Dates will be set for the WYPA pending the Korean Executive Team's confirmation.

One of the highlights of the meeting was a trip to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)-the border between North and South Korea. In the freezing cold weather, the team's hearts burned in prayer for the unification of Korea. It was a foretaste of what is planned for the WYPA-to bring the delegates from all nations to the border to release declarations for the freedom of North Korea and for the unification of the North and South.

What was remarkable in this meeting were the relationships forged among these young, global leaders. It was a joy to see them get along so well in just two and a half days of being together! Seeing these strong bonds formed, it will not be a surprise if the IDT will take their friendships and partnerships beyond 2016.

Praise the Lord for all that He has done!

Sarah Torres, WYPA and IDT Administrator

Prayer concerns:
1 For the IDT members to move strongly ahead in the work of mobilizing in their nations and regions.
2 For the Korean Executive Team's formation and effective efforts within their nation to bring many other leaders and organizations on board and in support of the WYPA.
3 For Jerome Ocampo and his team in the Philippines to effectively lead and coordinate planning along with the IDT members.
4 For His provision of funding for this major event since there will be very significant financial needs to make it happen.