Displaying items by tag: Africa

It has been six years since the world had a famine, but now UNICEF report that nearly 1.4 million children are at ‘imminent risk’ of death from famines in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. The World Food Programme says over 20 million lives are at risk in the next six months. Time is running out. Famine was formally declared on Monday in parts of South Sudan, mired in civil war since 2013. The conflict has split the country along ethnic lines, leading the UN to warn of potential genocide. South Sudan has also been hit by the same east African drought as Somalia, where six years ago 260,000 people starved to death. A World Food Programme report said, ‘By 2050, climate change and erratic weather patterns will have pushed another 24 million children into hunger. Almost half of these children will live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Twenty-four boys used their small bodies every day to dive into the deep water of the lake to untangle nets for their masters. It was dangerous, back-breaking work, made worse by violent abuse, lack of food and sleep. Early in the morning of 24 January, International Justice Mission  and Ghanaian authorities prepared for a rescue operation. Eight boats launched off the shores to look for the boys. A spokesman said, ‘When we found them, most were scared - they didn’t know what was happening.’ As they were pulled into the boats, the Ghanaian commander instructed his unit to arrest the suspected boatmasters, sixteen in all.

Gambia’s new president, Adama Barrow, has announced that the country will no longer officially be called an Islamic republic, reversing the decision made by his predecessor in 2015. There had been encouraging signs that Barrow, a Muslim who was a successful property developer before running for office, would begin a new era of positive relations with the country’s Christian minority. But this courageous announcement appears to signal a significant step away from the Islamist agenda promoted by Gambia’s previous president.

A Zimbabwean pastor who criticised his government has been detained after flying back to the country. Evan Mawarire, who left the country last year in fear for his life, was arrested at Harare International Airport. He first came to fame last April when he went on Facebook wrapped in a Zimbabwean flag complaining about the state of the nation. It sparked a #ThisFlag protest movement against the leadership of the country. In July, protesters staged a national ‘shutdown’ which led to a complete closure of schools, businesses and shops across the country. It was the biggest strike action since 2005. Mr Mawarire was arrested and charged with inciting public violence, but a court ruled that police had violated his rights and released him. He left the country soon after, and had been in the US for about six months. At the airport, Mr Mawarire ‘was escorted into another room by three men even before he went through immigration or customs’, his sister Telda said. It is reported that he was then taken to a police station in the centre of Harare.

‘Children have dropped out of school due to hunger; pregnant women and the elderly are the most affected. Cattle, which are the only source of livelihood, are dying, and the remaining ones are stolen by bandits,’ cries a Kenyan pastor in East Pokot, where the last rainfall was in June 2016. From nearby Marsabit, Pastor Jeremiah Omar reports that 70% of the livestock are already dead from drought - a disaster for the many nomadic communities. The food crisis is escalating, not only in Kenya but also in northern Uganda, which has absorbed over half a million refugees from South Sudan since last July, mostly women and children. Many are widows, or do not know what has happened to their husbands. Many people have very little apart from their clothes they are wearing. Freak weather and drought, due to the El Niño climatic effect, have caused a catastrophic situation. There will be no relief until June at the earliest, and then only if the rains come at the right time. An added problem in Kenya is that many of the worst-affected areas - in the north and the coastal region - are the areas where Christians are a despised, marginalised and oppressed minority amongst a Muslim majority.

On Wednesday Somalia's presidential elections took place, with over twenty candidates to choose from. In a surprise result, former prime minister Hassan Sheikh Mohamud decisively defeated the incumbent president. It is the first time since the 1991 overthrow of President Said Barre that a new leader has been chosen inside the country; the UN sees this as a sign of improving security. The election, in Mogadishu airport (considered the safest place in the city), went ahead under close security against the militant group al-Shabaab, which had recently carried out several attacks in the capital. Mr Mohamud is a professor and activist who has worked for several peace and development organisations including Unicef. It remains to be seen if his election will make any difference for the small, secret community of Somali Christians. They face extreme persecution from their communities and tribes. If their faith is discovered, followers of Christ could be murdered on the spot. Al-Shabaab has stated publicly that it 'wants Somalia free of all Christians'. According to Open Doors, the country is tdhe second-most dangerous in the world for Christians. See:

The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, has said the problem of water supply and sanitation illustrates why South Africa ‘is one of the most unequal countries in the world.’ He also described drought as one of the biggest risks facing South Africa’s businesses, causing food shortages, price increases and the loss of jobs for casual workers. He was speaking at the launch in London of an international church initiative to raise awareness and activism about challenges such as flooding, drought, rising tides, or access to fresh water and sanitation. The archbishop said a water crisis back home, with only three months’ supply left because of diminished rainfall, had concentrated his mind on how precious water is and on how devastating the effects of scarcity can be. He added, ‘Many of the threats to water are coming from companies who pollute rivers with industrial pollution. The shareholders of mining companies make a profit, but the local communities are left with water degradation. As a Church we stand firmly against fracking, since for short-term profit there is a danger of water systems being polluted for decades. Large corporate farms are also responsible, as artificial fertilisers and pesticides pollute the rivers,’ he said.

Malegapuru Makgopa, South Africa’s health ombudsman, has said that 94 mentally-ill patients died  of starvation, dehydration and diarrhoea at care centres last year. The deaths followed a ‘reckless’ attempt by the government to save money by transferring patients from a specialised institution to centres with ‘invalid licences’. Mr Makgopa released his findings in a report entitled ‘94 Silent Deaths and Counting’. Visibly angry, he described the deaths as unlawful and called on law enforcement agencies to take up the cases. His investigation was prompted by complaints from families who were desperately searching for their relatives. A total of 1,900 patients were transferred by the Gauteng health department to various unregulated care organisations. The findings have led to the resignation of the province’s health minister.

(Updating last week’s Prayer Alert article) On Sunday Judge Osama Ahmed Abdulla found Czech national Petr Jašek guilty of espionage. He was sentenced to life imprisonment plus a further three and a half years and a fine of 100,000 Sudanese pounds (approx. £12,000). Rev’d Abduraheem and Mr Abdumawla were sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment for espionage and a further two years for inciting hatred between sects and for propagation of false news. Lawyers representing the men intend to appeal the verdict and sentences. Joel Edwards of Christian Solidarity Worldwide said, ‘We are profoundly dismayed by this verdict. The serious charges against these men were wholly unwarranted and the excessive sentences unjustified, given the paucity of evidence against them. These men are not spies; they were simply driven by compassion to source finance for the treatment of a man with severe injuries. We call for the annulment of the verdict and the immediate release of these three men.’

Stop Child Witch Accusations (SCWA) is a coalition of Christian individuals and agencies responding to the reality of children experiencing serious harm or the threat of harm due to accusations of witchcraft or belief in malevolent spiritual influence. We are motivated to action through a shared concern to end the abuse and stigmatisation suffered by thousands of children who are accused of witchcraft. Our approach is to facilitate dialogue between local people and within local forums, supporting communities to come to their own understandings of this problem and how best to address it and to contribute to the development of effective, practical responses and advocacy resources, adaptable for use in different localities and contexts.

Over the last two years we have been working closely with church leaders based in DR Congo, and a group of African theologians concerned with this issue. The attached report describes our approach, activities and future direction. It is intended to demonstrate an effective and adaptable model for working with church leaders to address the issue of child witchcraft accusations.

Across the globe, children are accused of being witches. As a result, they are subjected to unimaginable abuse and torture: some are even killed. In some African nations, this phenomenon has become a societal norm. Communities in the grip of poverty, violence and conflict are prone to the belief that social ills are caused by dark forces which inhabit humans. In the search for someone to blame for their problems, people tend to scapegoat the most vulnerable in society: children are easy prey. Suspicion and fear spread like wildfire.

Small organisations in affected communities, such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are struggling to meet the complex needs of the large numbers of children subjected to these accusations. Few governments or agencies have engaged with the issue with any great commitment or effectiveness.

At the very heart of the issue are strong cultural and faith–based beliefs. Some church leaders are complicit in the ‘deliverance’ rites which subject accused children to often brutal and sustained torture. Many other church leaders are working tirelessly to stop the abuse. Yet, all too often, efforts to tackle this abuse have been hugely critical of the church, rather than engaging with it. 

Stop Child Witch Accusations (SCWA) believes that the issue must be approached from a faith perspective, as well as from a human rights one. The church, often the first port of call for families who believe their child is a witch, must be engaged. There is an urgent need for a concerted, preventative approach, which identifies and addresses root causes. SCWA is a coalition of predominantly Christian, UK–based organisations involved in supporting frontline efforts to tackle this abuse in Africa. SCWA and its partners are addressing the issue in three African nations profoundly affected by this phenomenon.

Church leaders in affected communities need to be engaged and influenced to help bring about change in any harmful belief or practice they may adhere to. They need to be given an essential grounding in sound theology, children’s rights as enshrined in law, and in child development. A recent survey of 1,000 pastors in Kinshasa, DRC, found that 70 per cent of respondents knew at least one child aged five or under who had been abused as a result of witchcraft accusations. An equal number acknowledged that sermons in their churches preach that child witches do harm by their supernatural powers. These church leaders also need to be equipped with practical strategies and resources so they can become key influencers of values and attitudes, both in their congregations and communities.

SCWA’s work with African churches is underpinned by systematic research into the root causes of witchcraft accusations. It believes this is essential if responses are to be relevant, targeted and effective. The complexity of the phenomenon means that its drivers vary from country to country, even from town to town. SCWA has now developed a unique, dual–pronged approach — engaging and training pastors with specific reference to root causes identified through local research.

Please pray for the work of the SCWA and the eradication of witchcraft accusations against children as well as specifically for the following:

• Concerted and collaborative efforts by local and international communities to tackle this issue in practical ways, drawing on the learning shared in this report. Round table forums such as those piloted by SCWA need to be replicated in forums at the UN and at governmental level.
• Advocacy organisations (working at a local level) to engage positively with the church on the issue of child witch accusations.
• Funders to invest in research into roots, realities and responses. Plus more funding to develop trainers and training resources, tailored to local contexts and translated into local languages. Training needs to target more sectors of society, including police, teachers, parents and community leaders.
• Recognition and support for the many small organisations in affected communities, struggling to meet the needs of children accused of witchcraft.
• Increased advocacy at a national and regional level to promote robust judicial and legal systems in affected countries, to crack down on this abuse and end impunity for abusers.
• More strategic efforts by church authorities to ensure that all churches everywhere have child protection policies in place.
• Theological colleges to include teaching on the issue of child witch accusations and related topics in their curricula.
  

The issue of child witch accusations is huge and complex: the challenges it poses can appear insurmountable. But SCWA believes that, with concerted and collaborative action, change in harmful beliefs and practices will follow and the flood of accusations will recede. Its own experience has proved this is possible. It warmly invites others to join in its efforts to end this abuse that wrecks the lives of countless children.

For the rest of this report or more information, please contact:
Susie Howe <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Director
The Bethany Children's Trust
Office 211
22 Eden Street
Kingston Upon Thames
Surrey
KT1 1DN
United Kingdom