Global: un-natural disasters
The map of disasters is immense, according to agencies tracking changes in climate and disaster events. In south Asia 45 million people have been adversely affected by floods and mudslides, with 16 million children and their families needing life-saving support. Pray for emergency aid to reach areas cut off by the floods and against the spread of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, amongst communities living in temporary shelters. On the African continent, 500 lives were lost in Sierra Leone and many are still missing after mudslides. Hurricane Harvey caused flooding and devastation on the Gulf Coast, and Florida has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Irma moves in its direction. According to reports, 95% of the island of Barbuda in the Caribbean has been ‘apocalyptically’ destroyed, and its prime minister blames this on climate change. He criticised world leaders who deny global warming. See also
Myanmar: Rohingya refugees flee violence
The Rohingya Muslims have lived for centuries in the majority Buddhist Myanmar. On 24 August the media reported clashes between Rohingya militants and Buddhist security forces in Rakhine state. Within two weeks the clashes escalated to a military operation, causing 15,000 Rohingya to flee daily to Bangladesh. The situation is becoming a humanitarian crisis in overstretched border camps, and 400,000 Rohingya are trapped in conflict zones where military ‘clearance operations’ continue. UN aid agencies are blocked from delivering food, water and medicine and humanitarian workers reported looting in warehouses stocking vital emergency supplies. Bishop Desmond Tutu has joined others criticising president Aung San Suu Kyi due to the ‘clearance’ actions of the army. In 2015, during a similar mass migration of Rohingya fleeing by boat from Myanmar, an estimated 25,000 were taken by human traffickers and many died at sea. This time an aid group rescuing refugees from the Mediterranean Sea is redirecting its ship to the Bay of Bengal. Pray for a greater international response. See also
Nigeria: UK fight Boko Haram, neglect Fulani
On 30 August, foreign secretary Boris Johnson and international development secretary Priti Patel visited Nigeria to assess British assistance in the fight against the Islamic terror group Boko Haram. A Nigerian special adviser on religious affairs, Canon Nenman Gowon, said, ‘While the attention of the British government and other international development agencies is turned to the devastation caused by Boko Haram in the northeast, very little or nothing is even mentioned about the hundreds of villages and people killed by the Islamic Fulani cattle herders who are still prowling Plateau, Adamawa, Taraba, and other states.’ The adviser blamed the president for turning a blind eye to the crises in Nigeria’s middle belt, ‘because it is a predominantly Christian region and the Fulani Muslims are of the president’s tribe’.
Australia: prayer for prisons
Each year a week of prayer is held for the ministry of Prison Fellowship Australia; this year it is from 10 to 17 September. The week gives an opportunity for Prison Fellowship to communicate and connect with churches and the community, focussing on its ministry among prisoners, ex-prisoners, the families of prisoners, and victims of crime. In keeping with the vision of Prison Fellowship, the week of prayer reflects the threefold mission of its ministry - transformation, reconciliation, and restoration. The themes for each day will be: Reconciliation Sunday, Victim Care, Restorative Justice, Ex-Prisoner Welcome, Correctional Services, Family Support, Prisoner Visitation, and Transformation Sunday.
