“The Central African Republic is without a functioning government; a civil war [has been] going on for years. A lot of [the turmoil] comes down to tribal animosities,” The Voice of the Martyrs USA’s Todd Nettleton says.

Increasing violence pushed CAR back into the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom spotlight. However, “the USCIRF report talks a lot about the persecution of Muslims, and even identifies foreign fighters linked with Russia as the persecutors, but doesn’t talk about the biblical disciples persecuted by both Muslims and militant groups,” Nettleton notes.

Learn how you can help believers through VOM USA here.

“Voice of the Martyrs [USA] is helping provide education for the young believers there, to raise leaders for the church,” Nettleton says.

“Their (current leaders’) concern is, ‘Who’s going to lead the church in the next generation?’”

Believers listen to an audio Bible.
(Photo courtesy of VOM USA)

Pray for knowledge and discernment. Pray Jesus-followers in the CAR can stand firm in their faith and be true witnesses for Christ.

“There are different militant groups; one group is sort of nominally Muslims, while another group would say they’re the Christians, but they would not be practicing their faith according to the Bible,” Nettleton says.

“Caught in-between those two groups are our Christian brothers and sisters, the biblical disciples. They are persecuted; their homes are destroyed, and thousands of them have been displaced.”

In the header image, The Voice of the Martyrs USA puts Bibles in the hands of young believers, helping them prepare to stand courageously for their faith in Christ. (Photo courtesy of VOM USA)

The police deployed additional personnel to protect the funeral, which was held in Peshawar’s All Saints Church on Monday. Over 3,000 people attended.

Increasing attacks

Nehemiah with FMI says, “No group has claimed responsibility for the killing. But militant attacks on security forces and on common people in the markets have been not only on the rise in Pakistan’s northwest area (which borders Afghanistan) but in major cities as well, like Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi. Many of them have been claimed by the TTP.”

TTP stands for the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, the most feared terrorist group in the country. They have carried out dozens of attacks since breaking a truce with Pakistan’s government earlier this year. Read more here.

Pakistani officials have condemned the violence, saying it threatens minority communities. Police have promised to catch the shooters, conducting a manhunt.

But Nehemiah says, “All these terrorists, even the ones who were caught by the police or security agencies, later are often released by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Even in the attack on a Pakistani public school, where hundreds of children were killed by the Taliban, all of those prisoners were released by the Supreme Court.”

Pakistani Christians

Christians make up a tiny minority in Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni Muslim nation. Estimates split this number mostly in half between Protestants and Catholics.

One Pakistani Christian told Nehemiah this: “Don’t pray for us. Pray with us.” Ask God to bring millions of people to faith in Jesus all across Pakistan.

The header photo shows Peshawar’s All Saints Church. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

Fighting spiked after the December elections, forcing thousands to flee. The first Red Cross delivery didn’t get through until last week; hundreds of trucks remain stuck at the border. World Mission’s Greg Kelley says believers are in trouble.

“The Church is suffering; they’re essentially surviving on anything they can grow, or animals they might have,” Kelley states.

Due to a recent history of conflict and landlocked location, Central African Republic must import much of its food and other essentials. Whenever rebels cut off the main supply route from Cameroon – like they did earlier this year – prices skyrocket. Some essential items increased by as much as 240-percent.

World Mission’s partners may be struggling, but these believers have their eyes fixed on Christ. “They’re asking for our Treasures, which are solar-powered audio Bibles in the Arabic language, so they can go and reach these rebel groups that are essentially their tormentors,” Kelley says.

The Treasure is a solar-powered audio Bible.
(Photo courtesy of World Mission)

“Even though they are suffering, God has given them such a heart for their tormentors, knowing that these individuals – the perpetrators of violence against them – need Jesus.”

By partnering with World Mission, you can send help and hope to Christians in Central African Republic. Take action here.

“From a strategic standpoint, Central Africa Republic is right at ‘Ground Zero.’ They are [geographically] on the line where Christianity and Islam collide,” Kelley says.

“We need to pour resources in there to raise leaders who won’t just stay in the CAR. They’re moving into Chad, Nigeria, Sudan; they’re moving into these Muslim-dominated areas that are the gateway to North Africa and the Middle East.”

Header image depicts the main street in Bangui, Central African Republic. (Photo courtesy of World Mission)

As of late, most headlines focus on growing U.S.–Iran tensions. January brought news of the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Then, not long after protestors turned their anger against the U.S., an Iranian missile downed a Ukranian passenger jet, and protest immediately turned back toward Iranian leadership.

Rising Gas Prices Lead to Rising Frustration

But discontment started much earlier than either of these episodes. Iran is “a country that is facing hyperinflation [and] high unemployment rate,” Nettleton says. “Basic food items have grown too expensive for the average person, and so many people are just eating bread and cheese.”

As if things weren’t bad enough, Iranian officials raised gas prices in December.

Actually, they tripled them overnight.

Fuel protests in November (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

“Literally you wake up the next door day and they say, ‘Oh, hey, by the way, gas just tripled in price today, and also you can only buy a certain number of gallons. There’s a ration system in place,’” Nettleton says.

This decision affects many Iranian citizens, but Christians were especially wounded by this move. According to Nettleton, “what our Christian brothers and sisters are saying is, ‘Hey, the part of our ministry is getting in a car and driving to places to meet with believers, but also to evangelize, to share the Gospel, not just driving across our city or across town, but literally driving around the country, driving to other cities where we have outreach events and where we have other churches that we’re coordinating with.’”

That means that by tripling the cost of gas, authorities have effectively tripled the cost of ministry for the Iranian Church.

Prayerful Response

But it’s not all bad news. Nettleton points out that for nearly 40 years, Iranian officials claimed to run the country according to Islamic principles. That means “to be angry at the government brings about the idea that maybe Islamic principles don’t work,” Nettleton suggests.

That’s why Voice of the Martyrs’ partners, especially TV and radio broadcast groups, report local Iranians want new answers. “[They] are getting a lot of calls right now about ‘Okay, how do we deal with this situation? What does God [and] what does Jesus have to say about the situation we find ourselves in?’ So we are praying that this will be a time of great harvest in Iran.”

Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA

Want to join Nettleton in prayer? Voice of the Martyrs has just the thing for you: their 2020 Global Prayer Guide. With this guide, you can learn how to answer the first request persecuted Christians often make: “Pray for us.”

Nettleton calls the guide “a tool to help American Christians answer that request and to be able to pray, not just, ‘God bless persecuted Christians,’ but really to be able to say, ‘Okay, I’m gonna pray about the Christians in Iran.’”

The Guide answers contextual questions to help you get a better understanding of various persecuted Churches around the world. It clarifies governments, philosophy, persecution, difficulties, Scripture access, and more in order to help you pray specifically for local believers in different parts of the world.

Nettleton hopes “Every Christian in America will get a copy of this global prayer guide, put it beside your Bible, or put it in the place where you have your devotional time or your prayer time and use it throughout the year to answer that request of our persecuted brothers and sisters that we will pray for them.”

Learn more about Voice of the Martyrs here or check out the Prayer Guide for yourself here.

Header photo courtesy of Unsplash.

(Wikipedia)

On March 25, Touadera will officially be sworn in as President.

“Faustin is also a believer, and so we’re all very excited about that,” shares Jim Hocking, leader of Living Water International‘s in-country representative, Water for Good. They bring clean water and the Living Water of Christ to families throughout the country.

Touadera’s appointment is expected to end three years of political turmoil, but significant challenges remain.

“It’s positive that we’re moving back toward constitutional government,” the International Crisis Group’s Central Africa director recently told World Politics Review.

“But if this process is not done correctly, we may just see the same story emerging from CAR. A lot of the problems we see this time around are very familiar.”

Equally-troubling is a new United Nations (UN) report. Between January 2011 and December 2015, the UN documented the killing of 333 children and maiming of 589 others in communal violence.

“Not only were children brutalized with regard to being used in combat and as sex slaves, but they were also forced to perform various support roles, including as informants. Since 2014, children have been increasingly used to commit actions against civilians….

(Photo courtesy Water for Good)

“On numerous occasions, armed men suspected to be anti-Balaka reportedly used children as shields while firing at [international] forces. The use of children as shields by anti-Balaka was also documented by the country task force in June 2015….

“Sexual violence was perpetrated by all parties to the conflict, with sexual violence against children by ex-Seleka and anti-Balaka forming part of a larger pattern of violations against civilians in areas under their control, particularly in 2014.”

Touadera vs. CAR challenges

(Graphic courtesy Water for Good)

The offenses outlined in this UN report are only a few of the challenges facing Touadera and the administration he appoints later this year.

During his campaign, Touadera promised to focus on a DDRR program (disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, repatriation) and the restructuring of CAR’s armed forces.

Following the ouster of former president Francois Bozize, CAR descended into chaos that killed thousands and drove nearly a million people from their homes.

More on the CAR crisis here.

Near the national capital, El Niño is presenting community hazards and economic challenges.

“There is a huge bush fire which is destroying lots of cassava gardens, lots of coffee gardens,” Hocking reports. “That’s ruining the economy of hundreds of farmers in that area because it’s gotten out of control.”

Approximately 500,000 people enjoy clean water thanks to Water for Good.
(Image courtesy Water for Good)

Without revenue they would normally receive from their gardens, many CAR congregations will be unable to pay for Water for Good’s well drilling and maintenance services. It doesn’t mean families won’t have access to clean water, though.

“We don’t fight fires…but we can at least continue to provide clean water for the people,” Hocking states.

Help Water for Good provide clean water to Central African Republic.

Seleka rebels patrol the city of Bangui.
(Photo courtesy of P.A.S. HOPFAN NGO via Flickr)

Central African Republic (MNN) — Insecurity is growing in a nation already plagued by volatility. As the Central African Republic crisis approaches its two-year anniversary, peace looks even more unlikely.

According to OCHA, the Central African Republic crisis has displaced over 438,000 people and has driven more than 423,000 people into neighboring countries. Around 2.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

And yet, God provides a silver lining.

“We’re still reaching nearly half-a-million people with the Gospel and water across the country,” shares Living Water International (LWI) partner, Jim Hocking. Hocking’s group, Water for Good, implements water solutions across the CAR.

The CAR crisis

A staggering 60% of the population
of the city of Bangui is displaced from their
homes, living in makeshift refugee camps.
(Image, caption courtesy Water for Good)

The Central African Republic’s current bout of instability began in March 2013, when Muslim Seleka rebels ousted the president and took over the capital city.

In the following months, a Seleka leader took over and then resigned under international pressure. A transitional government replaced him and has since been trying to restore order and stability.

Sectarian violence grew following the initial ouster, inciting a nationwide divide between Christian and Muslim populations.

Water for Good workers brave the rift to share Gospel Truth as they supply people in-need with clean water.

“It’s not Christian-versus-Muslim. It’s Muslim-versus-Non-Muslim,” Hocking says, describing how workers explain the truth about anti-Balaka and Seleka fighting.

“That understanding has begun to permeate the country much better, which gives us a better footing to stand on as we share the Gospel.”

Crisis updates

(Graphic courtesy of Water for Good)

Since 2015 began, a so-called “peace deal” between the CAR’s two former presidents failed, but another one is supposedly in the works. This deal would be between Seleka and anti-Balaka rebels — not the interim government.

“These two factions, who were literally killing each other a couple of months ago, are saying they’ve now signed an agreement to get along,” explains Hocking.

“They feel they can do a better job than the government.”

In addition, the United Nations is calling for even more peacekeeping troops. If approved, that would bring the total number of UN troops addressing the Central African Republic crisis to nearly 13,000.

Internal security forces are on the rocks–army, local police, etc., so UN troops are needed to keep the CAR from slipping further into chaos and anarchy.

Water for Good has taken extra measures to ensure the safety of their staff and to keep their work up and running. Along with supporting well projects, LWI is teaching Water for Good staff how to share the Gospel more effectively.

(Image courtesy of Water for Good)

“Jerry Wiles was there in the Central African Republic doing some [orality] training with our teams,” Hocking recounts.

“They continue to use that on a regular basis in villages, trying to share with them what Jesus Christ really can mean in their lives and the fact that they need to turn over their lives [to Him] and set aside their differences.”

Prayers and financial support are their top needs, adds Hocking.

“We have some serious needs in the Central African Republic right now,” he says.

$40 provides a month of clean water for 500 IDPs.

(CAR flag graphic courtesy Nicolas Raymond)

Central African Republic (MNN) — A new CAR government has been appointed, but that doesn’t mean things are improving. Prime Minister Mahamat Kamoun, appointed earlier this month, and his 29-member Cabinet are taking their first steps today toward ending violence that’s tearing the country apart.

Forming a new CAR government is a step in the right direction, at least in the eyes of the UN peacekeeping chief. But to ministry workers on the ground, real change will likely come when some 7,600 U.N. soldiers and police arrive in mid-September.

“We just hope it’s not too late for a lot of our people,” notes Jim Hocking. He heads up Water for Good, an in-country ministry partner of Living Water International and Reach Beyond.

“It still is not calm, just to make it clear. [There are] a lot of problems still in the country. Nobody wants to lay down arms.”

Violence continues daily

(Image courtesy Brookings.edu)
http://www.brookings.edu/

Fighting between Muslim residents and international peacekeepers broke out mid-week in the capital city of Bangui, injuring dozens and killing at least five people. Tensions came to a head when residents accused European Union (EU) troops of shooting and killing a man on Tuesday evening.

About 20% of the CAR’s population has been displaced by fighting that began last year. More than half of the country’s 4 million residents are in “urgent” need of assistance, says the UN.

But so does Gospel work

Despite ongoing fighting, “We have been able to get some work done,” Hocking says. He then shares an update: a ministry in Bozoum operated by Aurelio Gazzera has asked them to dig eight wells.

“This is for a Catholic organization, but we’re able to share the Gospel at the same time,” explains Hocking, adding that the project excites the Water for Good team.

(Photo credit Aurelio Gazzera)

They’ve had to lay people off because there aren’t as many projects to work on this year.

“We normally have between 90 and 100 contracts; this year, we’ve only had 30 contracts. The contracts are not coming because [villages are] dealing with relief issues [resulting from the violence], and not development issues. A new well is considered development.”

Despite multiple challenges, there is at least one silver lining: the CAR’s unrest is causing people to ask questions. This gives believers a chance to share the hope of Christ.

“We have teams on the ground sharing their faith,” says Hocking. “But without some funding for food, lodging, transportation, and a few tools, we cannot continue to work.”

You can help Water for Good here. Or support them by giving through Living Water or Reach Beyond.

Jim Hocking and Farel Ndango of Water for Good share an update about
the Central African Republic.
(Image from Farel Ndango’s Facebook page)

Central African Republic (MNN) — Violence occurs daily between Muslims and Christians as the Central African Republic crisis continues. The country is reportedly inching closer to genocide, as national security forces have been unable to contain the fighting.

Nearly 20 Fulani Muslims were killed yesterday after Christian anti-balaka militants attacked their village near Bambari. In addition, Sudan is trying to evacuate Darfur refugees living in the CAR. The U.S. is sending another $51 million in humanitarian aid that will reportedly provide for clean water, food, emergency health services, and more.

Farel Ndango of Water for Good, an in-country partner of Living Water International and Reach Beyond, is sharing an update from the front lines.

“My generation, my children’s generation, had never experienced a war like this,” he explains. “We had seen some government turnovers, but never this bad and this long.

“[Now] is the time to be speaking about the Gospel on a regular basis.”

Reach Beyond and Water for Good share the hope of Christ daily through radio broadcasts.

“We talk about the Gospel, about God, and what His desires are for everyone,” Ndango notes.

Established just a few years ago, the shortwave radio station was originally intended to broadcast maintenance information to CAR communities. Following the violent outbreak of sectarian violence, Water for Good and Reach Beyond’s radio station gained new purpose: sharing regular reminders of God’s love, redemption, and reconciliation.

Help reconciliation and Gospel broadcasts continue.

(Image courtesy Reach Beyond)

“We have this tool that God has given us: we are able to use it. We have radio announcers, [and] we continue to work on funding to make sure it stays on the air,” says Ndango.

“It’s currently on the air eight to ten hours; we hope to move it more toward 12 and 24 hours, but God continues to give us just enough funding to continue.”

Radio is only one aspect of Water for Good’s ministry in the CAR. They also help communities start the climb out of poverty by providing clean water and agricultural development.

Acting as Living Water’s in-country representative, Water for Good teams drilled 20 new wells during the first six months of 2014 and completed 667 well maintenance visits. They also built several platforms in refugee camps to hold the water bladders these camps relied on for clean water.

No matter where in the ministry Gospel workers serve, they each face danger. One of Water for Good’s drivers was kidnapped by militants, dressed in a uniform, and taken to Chad; he eventually managed to escape and return home. A security guard was shot in the arm.

“It’s been difficult,” Ndango shares. “We have not had people killed, but we have had a lot of people injured.”

Water for Good’s maintenance teams have shown a lot of courage. In the last 6 months, despite the dangers, they’ve continued to visit remote villages, servicing water pumps for people in desperate need of hope. A total of 667 visits have been made. They’ve kept clean water flowing for approximately a quarter of a million people.
(Image, caption courtesy Water for Good)

Despite the dangers and challenges, national workers press on to care for their neighbor and make Christ known. In response to the ongoing Central African Republic crisis, Water for Good initiated a year-long campaign called “Love Now” focused on relief for CAR families.

“There’s never enough [funding], so we covet your prayers as we seek support on a regular basis,” says Ndango.

“There still is evidence of a lot of work to be done before reconciliation and peace really arrive there in the Central African Republic.”

Will you help Water for Good, Living Water International, and Reach Beyond meet needs in the name of Christ? Learn more about the Love Now campaign and how you can help here.

Prayer is also a top priority.

“Pray for peace in the country and pray for reconciliation across the lines,” Ndango requests. Pray also for Ndango’s family. Residing in Bangui, they’ve had to relocate to refugee camps three different times.

“Continue to think and pray for our country. The war is not over,” urges Ndango.

“There’s still fighting, and until the United Nations troops arrive, 12,000 of them, we know we still have hard times ahead.”

Anti-Balaka militia.
(Image courtesy Bagassi Koura, VOA French
via Wikimedia Commons)

UPDATE: A team of Open Doors workers in Central African Republic (CAR) report that the atmosphere in Bangui remains extremely tense…“Early Thursday morning a large number of young people and anti-Balaka members flooded the streets, also around the area where we are. They used large tires they set on fire to block the roads. They demonstrated against the Burundian contingent in Misca. More and more people joined the protest. A revenge attack is likely. We can’t go anywhere. There is constant gunfire.”

Not long after this report, the mosque was destroyed, but no injuries were reported.

On Friday morning, May 30, staff reported that the atmosphere remained very tense and has even deteriorated somewhat. Although shooting had subsided, even more people have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the Burundian Misca forces. 

Central African Republic (MNN) — Some may amount the turmoil in the Central African Republic to a fight between followers of Islam and followers of Christ. But the battle for the CAR is more than Muslim vs. Christian.

“In my humble opinion, it is more an ethnic cleansing,” says Jim Hocking of Water for Good, an in-country partner of Living Water International and Reach Beyond (formerly known as HCJB Global).

Christian anti-balaka militants, once formed to protect communities from attacks by Muslim radicals, have shifted their agenda and are now attacking entire Muslim communities.

“The Muslims used to run most of the economy in the country; now, all of a sudden, they’re gone,” Hocking states, adding that Muslims in Bangui used to number between 30,000 and 50,000. Today, their population has dwindled below 900.

“And the question remains for most of us: who’s going to pick up that huge piece that’s been left open? There’s nobody really ready to pick up that piece of the lost economy that was run by the Muslims.”

(Photo courtesy Open Doors/World Watch Monitor)

The Central African Republic has been in a downward spiral since January, and Hocking says the outlook is bleak. Muslim rebel group Séléka and its front man, Michel Djotodia, took control of the government in March 2013. Djotodia folded under diplomatic pressure and resigned in January; the country’s first female head of state, who identifies herself as Christian, has since taken the helm.

A power shift hasn’t changed anything on the ground, though. Tit-for-tat fighting this week in Bangui resulted in at least 30 violent deaths and kidnappings in two locations.

Over the weekend, at least three Muslim youth were violently killed by Christian anti-balaka militants while on their way to a soccer match. “Their sex organs and hearts have been removed,” Muslim community spokesman Ousmane Abakar told Reuters.

In retaliation for this attack, radicals reportedly belonging to Séléka attacked a church in the area on Wednesday.

“Grenades were thrown over the wall [and] people were killed; there were at least 10 or 11, some estimates up to 30, from the Catholic priest who was there,” reports Hocking, who confirmed the attack with his contacts in the region.

Anti-balaka militants “really aren’t Christians, they’re just non-Muslims,” he adds. In the CAR, Christian affiliation is based more on ethnicity than being a true follower of Jesus.

Raise awareness of the trouble in CAR by sharing this story on your Facebook page.

Girls fetching water from a shallow hand-dug well.
This is the only water source for 3,500 people
at the Castor refugee center.
(Image, caption courtesy Water for Good)

Despite a daily threat of danger, ministry teams are still bringing clean water and the Living Water of Christ to villages.

“We continue to work where we can,” Hocking confirms. “But we never know where we can go next. It is more and more difficult to travel around the country.”

As Living Water’s in-country representative, Water for Good drills and maintains clean water wells throughout the nation. In one village, they’re maintaining a safe drinking source for over 500 people.

In Boali, Water for Good operates a shortwave Christian radio station in partnership with Reach Beyond. In response to the ongoing conflict, programmers developed content focusing on peace and reconciliation.

“[ReachBeyond’s] Technical Center is one of our great partners,” Hocking notes, adding, “They help us keep the radio station on the air; we’re on the air about 9-10 hours a day.”

See how you can help the people of CAR through this Water for Good, Living Water and ReachBeyond partnership.

“We, as the Christians of this country, can make an impact in that country if we will just take the time to do it,” says Hocking. “One dollar will give one African water for one year.”

A staggering 60% of the population of the
city of Bangui are displaced from their homes, living in makeshift refugee camps.
(Image, caption courtesy Water for Good)

Central African Republic (MNN) — Central African Republic is becoming another Rwanda if international parties don’t intervene, says a senior U.N. official. UN humanitarian operations director John Ging just returned from a five-day visit to CAR.

“It has all the elements that we have seen elsewhere, in places like Rwanda and Bosnia,” said Ging yesterday. “The elements are there, the seeds are there, for a genocide. There’s no question about that.”

Over 1,000 people have died, and some 2.6 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. CAR’s violent downward spiral began last year when Islamic Seleka rebels seized control of the country.

Though Seleka ally and former-president Michael Djotodia formerly disbanded the group, their violent attacks against Christians continued. As a result, militant Christian “Anti-Balaka” groups formed and targeted Muslim populations for revenge killings.

A few days ago, sectarian violence hit Living Water International and in-country partner, Water for Good, close to home.

Listen to the complete report here.

“This man just witnessed the killing of four of the five converts, male converts that he had there in his village,” shares Water for Good’s Jim Hocking.

He’s referring to a friend and partner of Water for Good, Pastor Ibrahim Abakar, who’s sharing the Gospel with Fulani Muslims. The Fulani are a historically nomadic people group, but Pastor Abakar has planted two churches so far.

Abakar watched helplessly as rebels took his friends, home, and church. But when he told Hocking this story over the phone, Abakar’s focus wasn’t on himself.

“His main concern was that they burned all of the tracts that he had, and he said, ‘I really need more tracts…. There are people who still need Jesus,'” recounts Hocking.

“It’s a very sad time for us, but it’s a time to rejoice in the fact that this man is still motivated to reach out to people.”

Formerly known as ICDI, Water for Good’s work in CAR primarily focuses on sustainable community development. As LWI’s in-country representative, Water for Good drills and maintains clean water wells throughout the nation. This allows them to share the Living Water of Jesus Christ, too.

Water for Good teams recently dug latrines
for refugees at the airport.
(Image courtesy Water for Good)

Given the current situation in CAR, Hocking says their projects are putting more emphasis on relief efforts. They recently dug desperately-needed latrines for over 100,000 displaced people living near the Bangui airport.

Can you join Water for Good, LWI, and the people of CAR in prayer?

“Pray for our teams, that they will…help people realize that there is hope. The hope isn’t in the government, but the hope is in Jesus Christ,” Hocking requests.

Pray also for CAR’s transitional national council. They’ve agreed on the criteria for an interim leader, and voting is set to take place on Monday.

Find more tangible ways to help here.