Chad: Sultan in Christian and Animist South is ‘threat for peace’

Chad: Sultan in Christian and Animist South is ‘threat for peace’
Chadian authorities have installed a sultan in the south Moyen-Chari region, increasing fears of further marginalisation among the Christian and Animist population. (Chad, like Nigeria, is roughly divided between a broadly Muslim north, and a broadly Christian and Animist south). A sultan traditionally holds spiritual authority over his subjects, as well . . . Read More

CAR’s clerics warn against attempts to divide Christians and Muslims

CAR’s clerics warn against attempts to divide Christians and Muslims
The three top faith leaders of the Central African Republic (CAR), who have won international recognition for their efforts to end conflict in the country, have blamed foreign mercenaries for a recent upsurge in violence. One month ago today, the relative calm enjoyed by the capital, Bangui, was shattered when . . . Read More

Thousands of Nigerian refugees forced back home to looming famine

Thousands of Nigerian refugees forced back home to looming famine
Thousands of Nigerians who fled Boko Haram’s insurgency, and sought refuge in neighbouring Cameroon, have been forced back home, the UN said on 29 June, as Reuters reports. According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), some 887 Nigerians, most of them children, were repatriated against their will on 27 June alone. The . . . Read More

Lake Chad Basin crisis to dominate African Union Summit

Lake Chad Basin crisis to dominate African Union Summit
As the 29th African Union (AU) Summit begins today (27 June), one of the major talking points will be the “now-major conflict zone” of the Lake Chad Basin, writes Omar S Mahmood, analyst at The Institute for Security Studies. The UN has described the situation in north-eastern Nigeria – one . . . Read More

Relatives of Coptic ‘martyrs’ join summit on persecuted Christians in US capital

Relatives of Coptic ‘martyrs’ join summit on persecuted Christians in US capital
A “World Summit in Defence of Persecuted Christians” has started in Washington DC, and is expected to be addressed by the US Vice-President Mike Pence today (Thursday, 11 May). It has been organised by American evangelist Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. 600 participants have come from 136 countries: including Egypt, . . . Read More

65,000 children freed from armed groups in 10 years

At least 65,000 children have been released from armed forces and armed groups in the past 10 years, UNICEF said as leaders from around the world gathered in Paris on 21 Feb. to mark the anniversary of the Paris Commitments to end the use of children in conflict. “Ten years . . . Read More

African Church must ‘promote peace, forgiveness and reconciliation’

African Church must ‘promote peace, forgiveness and reconciliation’
Christian Centre in Abuja, Nigeria.World Watch Monitor African church leaders concerned by the devastating consequences of conflicts across the continent have pledged to focus on preventative efforts. The continent has been among the worst-hit by violent conflicts in recent decades. Countries in West and Central Africa have been particularly affected. . . . Read More

75,000 children in N. Nigeria risk ‘dying of hunger’; 14 million need humanitarian aid, says UN

75,000 children in N. Nigeria risk ‘dying of hunger’; 14 million need humanitarian aid, says UN
The UN says 75,000 children are at risk of dying of hunger in north-east Nigeria.Open Doors International   Seventy-five thousand children are at risk of dying of hunger in north-east Nigeria, reports the UN, as the region deals with the aftermath of Boko Haram violence. The UN also says that . . . Read More