President Ashraf Ghani is holding up a tentative agreement on the talks’ framework, some officials say. His aides say no agreement was near.

President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan has refused to let peace talks move forward even though the Taliban and government negotiators have reached a tentative agreement on the talks’ guiding principles, Afghan officials say, further stalling the process despite nearing an apparent breakthrough after months of effort.

The Taliban exposed those fault lines on Saturday when the insurgent group announced on social media that both sides had agreed to the nearly two dozen points under discussion earlier this month — a framework for how talks would go forward, including points of protocol and how issues would be presented.

But some government officials immediately pushed back on that claim, insisting that details still needed to be worked out and that no agreement had been reached. They say the Taliban were pressured by Western officials to signal a breakthrough.

Three Afghan officials with knowledge of the talks said that Mr. Ghani took exception to at least one detail, insisting that the government side be referred to by its formal name, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, rather than by a more generic reference.

Such details have broken down efforts to negotiate before. The Taliban’s past insistence on being referred to as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan — the name of their government when they were in power — derailed an effort at talks in 2013 and was a sticking point in the talks between the United States and the Taliban that eventually led to a deal opening the way for a troop withdrawal, officials said.

That the Taliban were not sticking to that title in the guiding framework this month — agreeing to less specific references to the government and insurgent sides, and to other more central points of contention — was seen as an important accomplishment.

Now, the talks have been cast into further doubt by Mr. Ghani’s demand, officials and analysts said.

In a statement on Monday, Sediq Sediqqi, an Afghan presidential spokesman, said that Mr. Ghani was “steadfast in his resolve to make the peace talks succeed and that “some of the views” in this Times article were “unwarranted and baseless,” but he did not elaborate further.

“At this stage the whole process has shifted to both sides’ convincing an international audience that the other side is disingenuous,” said Ibraheem Bahiss, an independent Afghan research analyst. “But long term, it could strengthen the hand of those within the Taliban that advocate for a military solution and view the current process as fruitless.”

American and Western diplomatic officials have not publicly responded to the breakdown. But people with direct knowledge of the talks in Doha, Qatar, have described diplomats as being frustrated with Mr. Ghani’s stance, and have suggested that the government negotiating team has been functionally split between loyalists to Mr. Ghani and other officials who are frustrated with him.

The introductory talks, which opened in hope and spectacle in Qatar in September, have unfolded over months of brutal violence back in Afghanistan. The Taliban have intensified their offensives in crucial provinces, leading the government to accuse the insurgents of holding the talks hostage with their violence.

On Sunday, a stolen Humvee laden with explosives and crewed by a suicide bomber rammed into an Afghan military base in Ghazni Province, killing at least 30 security force members, government officials said.

There may be other crucial reasons that Mr. Ghani and his aides are digging in, as well.

More: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/29/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-peace-talks.html

Pray that the escalating violence and bombings in Afghanistan will stop
Pray that there will be an end to the impasse so that serious negotiations can begin
Pray for peace in Afghanistan where the people have suffered for too long

Your prayers are needed after four men were tragically murdered in an attack on a village in Indonesia by a group with links to so-called Islamic State.

Four Christian men have been murdered in a horrific attack on a village on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday 27 November. Six houses, including a makeshift church, and a Salvation Army building were also burnt to the ground. A group with links to so-called Islamic State are believed to be responsible.

At around 8am, a group of between eight and 10 men from East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) raided the village of Lemban Tongoa. They were armed with swords and guns and called residents out of their homes. Individuals were then singled out and killed. Three men were stabbed, and a fourth was burnt alive in his home.

Kandi loses her husband and father

Two of the men singled out were Kandi’s husband and father. After witnessing her father being killed in their home, she grabbed her children and fled.

“From where I was, I couldn't see my husband,” she recalls. “I immediately started running with my children. My mother ran into the house. I tried to stop her, but she was already captured. I said to my children: ‘That's it! It's just us now! Let's go!’ And so we ran.”

They managed to escape to safety. Thankfully, Kandi’s mother survived.

Salvation Army calls for prayer

“We find the news from Lemban Tongoa greatly disturbing,” said General Brian Peddle, leader of The Salvation Army which has a base on the island.

“Our hearts go out to our people who have been victims of evil, and to the families of those whose faith has caused such harm,” he added. “I call upon all Salvationists to pray for each person who has been affected, for the continuing witness of our people, and for healing in the communities. I ask our global community to join us in this prayer, and believe that as peace finds its place, evil will be defeated.”

"I see sadness in the eyes of the villagers"

The authorities, who have evacuated the village, have not been able to catch the attackers. East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) are one of several groups in Indonesia linked to so-called Islamic State. Since their leader was killed four years ago, the group haven’t carried out any attacks. But last Friday’s attack suggests they remain active.

Open Doors partners have arrived in the area to offer comfort and support. “I see sadness in the eyes of the villagers,” one partner reports. “There is a lot of emptiness in the face of Kandi whose father and husband were killed. However, when they saw us, the villagers smiled.” The team is listening to stories and will consider how to best serve the community.

Five members from church killed in Papua

The attack comes shortly after five Christians from a church in Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province, were found dead.

In September, Pastor Yeremia was found dead. Some two months later, on 20 November, two students were shot in a jungle; one was killed, and the other wounded. A couple of days later, the bodies of three Christians were found in the same location, including a 13-year-old; they were returning home for Christmas.

The area is plagued by conflict between the TNI (Indonesian army) and armed groups. It is believed the TNI is responsible for the deaths, despite the victims not being involved in criminal groups.

PLEASE PRAY

That all those grieving, including Kandi, will know the warm embrace of God’s comfort and love
That the perpetrators of these crimes will be brought to justice, and these senseless attacks will stop
For Open Doors partners serving those affected by recent attacks, that they will ‘know the word that sustains the weary’ (Isaiah 50:4).

More: https://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/latest-news/christians-murdered-indonesia/