Displaying items by tag: uncertainty

Haiti faces uncertainty after prime minister Ariel Henry's resignation, welcomed by Haitians amid escalating gang violence. Henry, stranded in Puerto Rico, pledged to resign once a transition council and temporary leader were chosen. US officials, after talks in Jamaica, expect the council to be appointed soon. Acting prime minister Michel Boisvert has signalled his willingness to facilitate an orderly transition. Port-au-Prince shows signs of improved security; the streets are quiet and the main cargo port has been reopened, though the airport remains closed. One of Haiti’s largest TV stations has left its headquarters, citing the insecurity. In another potential setback, the plans to deploy Kenyan police officers for a UN-backed security mission are on hold pending a new interim government. Haitians hope for stability as they await a new leadership amidst ongoing challenges.

FARMS International has helped Christians grow small businesses into sustainable sources of income through microcredit loans. In turn these businesses support their communities and the local church. But many small businesses have faced challenges with the pandemic. Programmes that depend on face-to-face consumers are struggling, and have been for months. Even as restrictions lift in some places, there’s still fear of hiring the person who’s going to bring Covid to the family. Because of that fear it’s really difficult for day labourers. Workers in cities are especially challenged to keep their businesses afloat. Fewer people are travelling or willing to be in close contact with someone else. The same holds for carpenters or people who do housework. These people are on the fringes, without a secure source of income and the things that follow, like food and education. See also

Hundreds of thousands of protesters brought sweeping change to their government in 2018 blaring the music of Hachalu Hundessa, a popular activist singing for the liberation and empowerment of the largest ethnic group - the Oromo. Now 34-year old Hundessa has been gunned down in Addis Ababa, causing massive new protests. By 2 July over 80 were dead. The internet has been cut nationwide. The prime minister, praising the singer, called for calm. Authorities say suspects are in custody, but beyond that little is known about what happened. In a deeply fragmented nation of 105 million people, coronavirus has forced the postponement of August’s national elections. Ethiopians, already in heightened social tension and economic uncertainty, now have to wait until next year to express their grievances and preferences through normal political channels.

Lockdown is the only solution to ending the pandemic, and Italy’s government has extended it beyond 3 April with no new deadline. In the south, hunger and hardship threaten to be even bigger problems than the virus, with regions beginning to feel the weight of the economic blow. Many residents are beginning to run out of food and money. An estimated 3.3 million Italians - one-third of whom are located in the south - work off-the-books for cash, making them unsure of when their next pay cheque will come. This concern has caused some southern Italians to plot raids against grocery stores, and authorities are worried the situation could become violent. Pray for the poorest southern regions - Sicily, Campania, Calabria, and Puglia - to know peace not violence as they begin to struggle for food and money. A private Facebook group, urging people to organise large raids on grocery stores and markets, is currently under investigation. One man addressing the government said, ‘You will regret this because we are going to have a revolution’. See

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin wants the Government to admit that a no-deal Brexit is now the expected outcome, and to be transparent with the Irish public about its plans. He told RTÉ radio’s Today with Seán O’Rourke show, ‘The issue is too important to be left until 31 October. The public needs to know now what plans are in place, what kind of checks will be required in the event of a no-deal Brexit.’ Mr Martin said he was ‘deeply concerned’ about the state of readiness for a no-deal Brexit, especially for ports where he feared there would be disruption to the transport of goods, both outward and inward. He added, ‘Politics is not about playing games in an arena, it is about people’s lives.’

Our election has resulted in a hung parliament and the prospect of a minority government - so there is all the more reason to pray. ‘Father, we ask You to bless our new Government, so that the United Kingdom will display God’s Kingdom in all decisions made by our politicians. Bless them and their advisors with clarity and wisdom. Father, bless and anoint our politicians as they settle into their new responsibilities. We pray that You will give the Prime Minister supernatural revelation and strategies from heaven that will lead this country easily and purposefully into and beyond Brexit. Father God, we ask you to raise up Josephs, Daniels and Esthers in governmental circles, and anoint them to bring about the revisions and transformations that are exactly what we need in this uncertain season that we are entering. Father, Your word says, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall” (Matthew 12:25). Lord, bless our MPs with unity and vision.’

(written by Linda Digby of Prayer Alert)