Africa

Displaying items by tag: Africa

Thursday, 14 February 2019 21:45

Egypt: ‘The Guest' film controversy

Egyptian religious scholars want an award-winning film, ‘The Guest’, banned. The story of a daughter’s handsome suitor being her father’s worst nightmare unfolds on the silver screen as a conflict between radical Islam and deductive logic. Many Egyptians may not see the psychological thriller if a Cairo court decides on 23 February that it should be banned for misrepresenting Islam. The film’s dialogues focus on religion’s role in society and address hijabs, inter-faith marriages, and women’s role. The plot, which features a Christian wife and mother, takes on the credibility of sheikhs and political Islam. Religious figures have complained that the film ‘promotes inaccurate Islamic information’.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 14 February 2019 21:40

Algeria: opportunities for Christianity

The 41 million people of this Muslim-majority country depend on fossil fuels for their export income. Recently finances have been hurt by the drop in oil prices, prompting cuts in state subsidies. Algeria struggles to provide jobs and homes for its people. Democracy and human rights exist on paper, less so in reality. In the midst of this, people are coming to Christ. Most new believers are from non-Arab backgrounds, but faith is also growing among Arabs and other people groups. New fellowships begin as believers move into Arab areas to share the gospel. Persecution is a fact of life. One Christian woman wrote, ‘Women converts to Christ face challenges which sometimes cost them dearly - rejected by their families, repudiated by their husbands, deprived of their children.’

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 14 February 2019 21:37

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola outbreak

The second-largest Ebola outbreak in history has killed 97 children, and 811 people have symptoms. ‘We are at a crossroads’, said a spokesperson for Save the Children. ‘If we don't take urgent steps to contain this, the outbreak might last another six months, if not the whole year.’ The fatality rate is currently 63%. There is misinformation in communities, and mistrust of medical responses is an urgent and real concern. People have disrupted funerals because they didn't believe the deceased had the virus. Aid workers are threatened because it is believed that they spread Ebola. ‘We must scale up our efforts to reach the vocal youth and community leaders to build trust and to help us turn this tide. Treating sick people is essential, but stopping Ebola from spreading is just as important.’ Children are at the greatest risk of dying.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 08 February 2019 00:44

German-Israeli cooperation in Africa

Since 2012, Israel and Germany have worked together on policies to aid the development of African countries. Germany is providing 90% of the financial support, which enables the Israelis to bring their expertise into the latest agricultural developments. Large projects, which Israel cannot carry out alone, will grow with German provision. As Israel was forced within its own land to find solutions for the lack of water in desert areas, Israelis are now blessing many countries in Africa with their knowledge, fulfilling God’s word ‘and you will be a blessing’ (Genesis 12:2).

Published in Praise Reports
Friday, 08 February 2019 00:07

Nigeria: elections on 16 Feb and 2 March

Rev Mathew Sukada, from Jos, has cautioned Nigerians, ‘Do not kill yourselves over politicians; they do not even know you and will reconcile with each other long after you are gone’. He said some politicians were more concerned about their personal interests, and cautioned youths against being used as thugs to kill and destroy. ‘Politicians seeking to use you for selfish reasons will offer you peanuts to fight and kill for them. When you get killed, they won’t remember you. When you get injured, they won’t have time for you. When you are caught, they will deny you. You must learn to be wise and protect yourselves against destruction. As Christians, you have a duty to serve only God, your Creator.’ An army commander told troops, ‘Let me warn and remind you of the need to remain apolitical in the performance of your duties during the election period. Defaulters will be severely dealt with. You must be professional, patriotic and respectful of the rights of citizens.’ See

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 07 February 2019 23:48

Egypt: 'Sinai is our Vietnam'

Servicemen in the Sinai peninsula are ill-equipped and under-trained. Since the insurgency began, Egypt's propaganda narrative has portrayed its fighters as religious, disciplined, ‘born to kill’ fighting machines. Men aged 18 to 30 must serve in the military for eighteen months, followed by a nine-year obligation to serve if called for duty. IS militants are trained in guerrilla and desert warfare and house-to-house combat, and have military experience in Gaza, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Egypt’s fighting forces are conscripts with 45 days in boot camp. Moataz, a medic now discharged from military duty, still has nightmares about his service and visits a psychiatrist. He said, ‘Body parts were everywhere in a scene that I will never forget. The rest of the bodies were firstly wounded and then executed by gunfire. Some bodies had more than 20 bullets in their heads. To us and many other conscripts, Sinai was our Vietnam.’

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 01 February 2019 09:22

Nigeria: Boko Haram threat displaces 30,000

Fear of renewed attacks by Boko Haram is prompting the exodus of 30,000+ people from the town of Rann. UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva on 29 January that the town's population ‘seems to be panicking; they are on the run as a pre-emptive measure to save their lives.’ Rann, near the border with Cameroon in northern Borno state, has already seen an exodus of 9,000 people to Cameroon after a Boko Haram attack on 14 January, killing 14 people. Baloch said that Cameroon had sent back the 9,000 refugees, and initially deployed troops as part of a multinational task force to protect the town, but that task force has now left. A recent upsurge in violence in northeastern Nigeria has driven more than 80,000 civilians to seek refuge in already crowded camps or in towns in Borno state, ‘where they are surviving in tough living conditions’. The hostilities have strained humanitarian operations there and forced aid workers to pull out from some locations.

Published in Worldwide

90% of CAR’s population are Christian; Islam is practised by 9%. All the people are suffering. As a new round of peace talks between armed groups and the government began on 22 January, the UN’s top humanitarian official in CAR warned that continued violence could push the country closer to famine. Around 2.9 million people (63% of the population) need humanitarian assistance and protection. Of those, 1.9 million require acute and immediate aid. Food security and protection are the main concerns. Increasing levels of violence drive the ongoing crisis, with near-constant conflict since 2012. Although a peace agreement was reached in 2013, rebels seized the capital two months later, forcing President Bozizé to flee. Rival militias have fought each other ever since. Much of the country is overrun with armed groups, despite the 2016 election of President Touadéra.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 25 January 2019 09:22

Global: Christian persecution rising

Figures for the persecution of Christians have shown a 'shocking increase', by 13.9% according to Open Doors World Watch List 2019. Asia has a sharp rise. China rose 16 places to number 27, with new laws to control all expressions of religion. Some church leaders say it is the worst since the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976. India, the world's largest democracy, is now number 10 on the list. Hindu extremists act with impunity, violently attacking Christians and churches and non-Hindu religious minorities. Rising nationalism is leading to persecution in Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal, where national identity is tied to religion and those from minority faiths are considered outcasts. Persecution in North Korea has been worse than any other country for the last 18 years. In the north and middle of Nigeria, 3,700 Christians were killed for their faith - almost twice as many as the previous year.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 25 January 2019 09:19

Widespread persecution of journalists

The risks journalists take when reporting on corruption continue. Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an undercover journalist working on an investigation with the BBC about corruption in Ghana’s football leagues, was shot and killed after a politician called for retribution against him. In Turkey, journalist Pelin Ünker was found guilty of ‘defamation and insult’ and sentenced to thirteen months in jail for her work on the Paradise Papers investigation into offshore tax havens. Turkey has the world’s worst record for jailing journalists - 68 in prison at the end of 2018, all of them facing charges of crimes against the state. Journalists play a vital role in exposing the corrupt and their methods; but they face threats, violence, arrest, and death as a result. Since 2017, over 190 journalists have been incarcerated worldwide for reporting on corruption. See also

Published in Worldwide