Prayer Hub

Yemen – Truce Extended

The landmark truce in Yemen, which has been holding since April, has been renewed for an additional two months through 2 October, UN Special Envoy for the country, Hans Grundberg, announced recently.

The extension includes a commitment by the Government and Houthi rebels to intensify negotiations to reach an expanded agreement as soon as possible.

The envoy thanked the leadership of both sides for agreeing to the extension, and for their continued constructive engagements.

“I count on the continued cooperation of the parties to meet their commitments and implement all elements of the truce and to negotiate in good faith to reach an expanded truce agreement, and to put Yemen on a path to sustainable peace. The Yemeni people deserve no less,” he said in a statement.

The current truce in Yemen has created the “best opportunity for peace in years”, according to a USA spokesperson, who added. “Justice, accountability, and redress for human rights abuses and violations are essential for an enduring peace in Yemen, and the United States has long supported Yemeni civil society toward these ends,” the spokesperson said.

As a result, the American government is exploring the creation of a new international committee to document and report on human rights violations in Yemen, months after a Saudi lobbying campaign quashed an independent United Nations investigation into possible war crimes.

However, Abdulrasheed al-Faqih, a prominent Yemeni human rights defender, said the administration’s proposed plan to “replace” the independent UN body that had been investigating possible war crimes was deeply flawed. The state department, he said, was considering including representatives from Yemen’s presidential leadership council, which has close ties to Riyadh, as a “partner” in the new international mechanism.

“They are working on a very, very bad mechanism that can replace the [UN body],” he said. “First of all, the starting point is that the mandate is weak, and second, it is not independent at all.” Faqih said if the administration pursues the proposal it would be akin to asking Vladimir Putin to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Two others familiar with the preliminary discussions, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said they were also aware of efforts by the administration to reach out to NGOs to discuss the plans.

Al-Faqih is co-founder and executive director of Mwatana for Human Rights, a group that monitors and documents war crimes, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances and restrictions on the press. The group’s field researchers have compiled extensive evidence of Saudi’s previous bombing campaigns in Yemen, and contributed to a 288-page report in 2019 by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), which found that the Saudi attacks appeared to violate international humanitarian law by “targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

More: UN, The Guardian, Aljazeera

Pray:

That any signs of peace, however fragile, be supported and nurtured leading to a long-term solution for the people and nation of Yemen

That abuse and injustice be challenged and rooted out, so that justice may be seen in the land of Yemen

For those who have suffered during the seven years of conflict in the Yemen, through famine, disease and attack. Pray that their needs will not be forgotten and lost in political negotiations.

USA - Roe vs Wade, Abortion law changed

The US Supreme Court has overturned the historic Roe V Wade ruling, meaning abortion is no longer considered a constitutional right in the United States of America. Introduced in early 1973, Roe V Wade meant individual states could no longer ban abortion - it was legal for every woman across the country. Now that the ruling has been overturned, it's believed around half of the US states will ban the procedure.

Speaking to Fox News, evangelical pastor Rev Franklin Graham said: "The United States Supreme Court just announced one of the most significant rulings in my lifetime - officially voting to overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade decision because it was 'egregiously wrong from the start,' as stated by Justice Samuel Alito."

Addressing followers on Twitter, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church: "The Supreme Court has overturned ROE v WADE ending the federal support of abortion! Millions of unborn Americans say thank you!"

Alliance Defending Freedom - a non-profit legal organisation that has often spoken out against abortion - reflected on the ruling in 1973, saying: "That decision fabricated a federal constitutional right to abortion and has resulted in the deaths of more than 60 million unborn children. States may now fully protect innocent, unborn life.

Pastor Jentezen Franklin echoed the remarks made by other church leaders, saying: "This is a remarkable answer to the prayers of millions of people for decades. "I honestly never dreamed in my lifetime I would see this happen. We do not gloat or dare say anything but praise to our God for this courageous and just decision by the Supreme Court. Now we must support, love and demonstrate God's grace and goodness to would-be mothers and the precious children this decision has rescued."

J.John, evangelist, speaker and author, said: Whilst we celebrate this news, let’s be known as a Church that steps up and supports mothers and families who are in need. Most of us will know someone who has been impacted by abortion and this is an opportunity for us to extend the love of Jesus to them. Babies matter. Women matter. Families matter."

Reverend Raphael Warnock, who supports abortion laws, said: "I'm outraged by the Supreme Court's decision. As a pro-choice pastor, I’ll never back down from this fight. Women must be able to make their own health care decisions, not politicians."

The Vatican's Academy for Life praised the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on abortion, saying it challenged the world to reflect on life issues, but also called for social changes to help women keep their children.

"The fact that a large country with a long democratic tradition has changed its position on this issue also challenges the whole world," the academy said in a statement.

"This also means ensuring adequate sexual education, guaranteeing health care accessible to all and preparing legislative measures to protect the family and motherhood, overcoming existing inequalities.

"We need solid assistance to mothers, couples and the unborn child that involve the whole community, encouraging the possibility for mothers in difficulty to carry on with the pregnancy and to entrust the child to those who can guarantee the child’s growth."

More: Premier Christian news Christian Concern VIDEO

Pray:

That God will continue to mobilise the church to meet young mothers and fathers in their moment of need, that the Church will we be a shining light and a beacon of hope to the fearful and broken-hearted.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Ethiopia – War and Hunger

Hunger is tightening its grip on more than 20 million Ethiopians who are facing conflict in the north, drought in the south and dwindling food and nutrition support beginning next month, the UN food relief agency has warned.

“The combination of conflict and drought have caused inflation to soar,” the World Food Programme (WFP) added, noting that as of April, the Food Price Index in Ethiopia was up by 43 per cent compared to the same month last year.

According to WFP, 19 months of war have left more than 13 million people in the north requiring humanitarian food assistance, mainly in conflict-affected zones in Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions. Over the past two months, since the Government announced a humanitarian truce, food and humanitarian supplies have been flowing into the Tigray region.

Additionally, the Ethiopian government has commissioned a UN agency to rebuild some of the destroyed infrastructure in Tigray, a region in conflict with Addis Ababa and controlled by rebel authorities, as part of a project funded by the World Bank (WB). The project aims to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by the conflict and improve access to basic services and make it easier for victims of gender-based violence to access assistance programmes.

Several of Ethiopia's international partners have suspended their aid since the start in November 2020 of a conflict between the federal government and rebels in Tigray, marked by numerous abuses and which has led to a serious humanitarian crisis in the north of the country.

In April, the WB became the first major financial institution to release funds to Ethiopia since the war began. Some observers saw a link with the announcement a few days earlier of a "humanitarian truce" in Tigray.

Since the truce, fighting has stopped in Tigray and the federal government has allowed desperately needed humanitarian aid to be delivered by road again after a three-month hiatus.

But the region remains without most basic services - electricity, telecommunications, banking - and several of Ethiopia's partners continue to press for their restoration. A few days earlier, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said for the first time that he was open to negotiations with the Tigray rebels, who regained control of most of the region in 2021.

More: Christian Aid, Africa News, UN.org

Pray:

For those people who are facing the combined suffering of famine and conflict, that they may be provided for and supported in their struggles.
That the humanitarian truce will hold, allowing aid to flow to previously inaccessible areas of Ethiopia.
For the estimated 400,000 children in northern Ethiopia who are malnourished.
Prayer for East Africa (from Christian Aid)
Loving and compassionate God, When Famine stalks the land, nothing grows.
Plants cannot, people cannot, ideas and dreams cannot everything withers and dies.
It is a violent aberration of your will for the world and it is multiplied now by conflict, climate change and covid.
God of the flourishing field, there is enough to feed us all. Call us to that sacred sharing neighbour to global neighbour
Your gifts of food, water, a chance to live the life so delicately crafted by your divine spirit.
We will not turn away but turn towards each other with generosity and a justice-driven compassion
that searches for solutions.
Famine stalks the land, so may our outrage grow, may our determination steel itself, may our solidarity spur us into action.
God of the flourishing field, help us feed each other.
Amen

Global Day of Hope – Aug 27

In a world of hopelessness, it's time to release a sound of HOPE!

In a world of darkness, it is time to let our light SHINE!

What does hope look like? We asked some of our friends this question and went on a journey to discover what is hope, and how is the body of Christ bringing the hope of Jesus to the community.

'Hope is the light into the darkness'

'There's joy in hope'

'There's purpose in hope'

'I'd say it gives me a reason for living'

'Hope, for me means that there is a light at the end of the tunnel'

'So coming from a life without hope. It's kinda just opened the entire world up'

'Hope is a life of fullness and peace that can only be found in Jesus'

Join us on Saturday 27th August for the Global Day of Hope!

Watch the programme and more info at www.globaldayofhope.com

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