Displaying items by tag: Africa

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.

Sudanese passports are locked inside European embassies. Spain's foreign ministry urged people to obtain travel documents from the Sudanese authorities. Mohamed was waiting for his visa for a Spanish holiday when war erupted. He phoned the Spanish embassy to retrieve his passport. The receptionist asked, ‘Are you Sudanese or Spanish?' He said he was Sudanese, she immediately hung up. Mr Badawi works for a French company. His passport was at the French embassy and they refused to return it. There are many more trapped. 15.8 million people already needed humanitarian assistance before the conflict. Now the situation is dire. Water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are scarce. The UN and partners are working to reboot the humanitarian response. Also the toll on children and young people’s mental health is profound. Additionally, the cost of transportation out of the worst-hit areas has risen exponentially, leaving the most vulnerable unable to move to safer areas.

Sudan’s healthcare system is paralysed. 39 out of 59 hospitals are closed. Those still working are running out of blood, medical equipment, and supplies. Doctor Abaro said closed hospitals must remain closed because medical supplies have run out and oxygen stations have been destroyed. It’s not safe to go into the streets, so medical staff and medical supplies can’t reach hospitals. Electricity, water and food are running low, and there are restrictions on ambulance movements. The situation is difficult. ‘The worst thing was seeing injured men and chronic patients struggling to survive,’ said Doctor Mustafa. ‘They were already vulnerable, and we felt paralysed trying to help them.’ A former foreign minister sheltering in Khartoum said, ‘We’ve had no electricity for 24 hours. We’ve had no water for six days, medical teams are targeted, and there are rotting bodies of youths in the streets’.

Libyan warlord Haftar controls eastern parts of Libya and, fuelled by outside interests, could worsen Sudan’s conflict. Analysts describe a ‘nightmare scenario’ of multiple regional powers fighting a proxy war in Sudan, endangering over 45 million people. Recently, Haftar passed on crucial intelligence to Sudanese general Hemedti, detained his enemies, increased deliveries of fuel, and trained hundreds of RSF fighters in the urban warfare tactics needed in Khartoum and other cities. Hemedti and Haftar have also collaborated on smuggling operations of valuable illicit cargo between the two countries. Currently, neither Haftar nor his sponsors, UAE and Russia, will commit entirely to one side in a conflict whose outcome remains unclear. Also, he does not want to alienate Egyptian supporters who back Sudan’s General Burhan. One NLA militia commander said his force was ‘ready to support Hemedti but is still monitoring the unfolding situation in Sudan’.

So far, two thousand people from fifty countries have crossed the Red Sea to the port of Jeddah, while tens of thousands of Sudanese are trying to reach Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. Those remaining in Khartoum homes are running out of supplies. ‘If this war doesn't stop, there is no way to stay here.’ said a nurse. Lakshmi from Massachusetts was hitchhiking south. He said, ‘For the 16,000 Americans in Sudan, the race to evacuate diplomats has left them to fend for themselves. There are at least 158 Australian families registered in Sudan, but Australia has no embassy, so they have no consular services to help. See Many Britons scrambled to get to an airfield near Khartoum and fly back to the UK via Cyprus before the ceasefire ended.