Exact casualty figures are as yet unknown, since many people are reported to still be in hiding in the bush. However, unconfirmed reports indicate that at least 28 people may have been killed and several others were injured.
Suspected Boko Haram gunmen attacked villages and a town in the Madagali and Michika Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Adamawa State in north east Nigeria on 26 February.
Exact casualty figures are as yet unknown, since many people are reported to still be in hiding in the bush. However, unconfirmed reports indicate that at least 28 people may have been killed and several others were injured.
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Bomb attacks on the island of Zanzibar targeted Christ Church Anglican Cathedral and a well-known restaurant on 24 February, and an Evangelistic Assemblies of God Tanzania (EAGT) church on 25 February. Two bombs were detonated at the main entrance of Christ Church Anglican Cathedral and the Former Slave Market in the centre of Stone Town at around 1pm on 24 February. Another bomb exploded at Mercury's, a restaurant named after (Freddie Mercury) the late lead singer of the rock group Queen who was born in Zanzibar. According to eyewitnesses, the bomb at the Cathedral consisted of dynamite and was detonated remotely. On 23 February, a homemade bomb reportedly containing a mixture of ball bearings and chemicals was detonated at an EAGT Church. The bomb exploded as the church service was coming to a close, shaking the building and causing alarm amongst the congregation. It is unclear whether anyone was injured or to what extent the church building was damaged. Last week at least 200 people were killed in Borno and Adamawa States in the north east of Nigeria in a series of terrorist attacks on rural areas. At least 121 people are now known to have died and several others were injured when Boko Haram gunmen attacked Izghe Village in the Gwoza Local government Area (LGA) of Borno State on 15 February. According to survivors, gunmen dressed in military fatigues and chanting Allahu Akbar (God is great) arrived at the largely Christian community at night in seven pick-up trucks and on motorcycles. They ordered villagers to gather together and then opened fire, chasing and killing any who attempted to escape and slitting the throats of several victims. The gunmen subsequently set fire to houses, looted food stores and stole approximately ten vehicles. Solar-powered audio Bibles, helped the Boko Haram come to Christ. The rebel terrorist group known as Boko Haram has done it again. This time they killed more than 70. Reports indicate 52 people were killed in a Kawuri village in Borno state. Twenty-two more died in an attack on a church service in Waga Chakawa village in Adamawa state. World Mission supports partners working there on the ground with unreached people groups. The organization’s executive director, Greg Kelley says, “The people that we work with in northern Nigeria are stationed in the vicinity of where Boko Haram is, so it’s made it very difficult for our partners to operate. They literally have one eye open at night because people are being killed and kidnapped.” A family of seven was murdered when armed Fulani tribesmen attacked a village in southern Kaduna State on 30 January. According to reports received by Christian Solidarity Worldwide-Nigeria (CSW-N), Manyekrun Village in the Sabon Garin Manchok District of Kaura Local Government Area (LGA) was attacked at around 11pm last night. The assailants murdered Mr Abin Kaawai, his wife Ruth Abin, and their children, Indip, Emma, Cletus, Bitrus and Dauda. CSW-N also reported that the area is extremely tense following the murders, as angry young men set fire to the homes of some local Fulanis. At least 138 people are now known to have died on 26 January in attacks by members of the Islamist terror group Boko Haram on villages in Adamawa and Borno States in north east Nigeria. Around 53 people are reported to have died and dozens were wounded in Adamawa State when militants armed with AK-47s and improvised explosive devices (IED’s) attacked a Catholic church in Wada Chakawa in Madagali Local Government Area (LGA) just as a busy Sunday service was ending. After killing a police inspector and sergeant who were guarding the church, the gunmen barred the doors, shooting anyone attempting to escape through windows. They cut the throats of several victims before burning houses and holding residents hostage for four hours. According to the chairman of Madagali LGA, the assailants went on to invade a border village before retreating into neighbouring Cameroon. In the midst of ethnic and political tensions, our Christian family in Sudan and South Sudan is facing great risk and opposition. This area of the world is also coping with such issues as ongoing internal conflict, poverty, hunger and natural disasters. Since South Sudan's secession from Sudan in 2011, believers in both countries have faced increased harassment, arrests and persecution. No longer considered "citizens" of Sudan, many South Sudanese are still stranded in the north due to job loss, poverty, transportation limitations and conflict in South Sudan. Some officials have reportedly threatened to kill South Sudanese Christians who do not leave or those not willing to co-operate in the effort to locate other believers. Local sources are reporting that almost 1,000 people have been killed in the last week after fighting broke out between the Seleka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka groups in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR). On 9 December the Red Cross had confirmed 400 deaths in Bangui. However, local eyewitnesses report a number of unburied or uncollected bodies in many parts of the city. Seleka, a predominantly Muslim rebel coalition, took power in a coup in March 2013, suspending the constitution, dissolving the government and National Assembly, and eventually installing one of its leaders, Michael Djotodia, as president. In September, Djotodia officially disbanded Seleka; however many rebels refused to disarm and began sectarian killings, looting and burning villages, with worrying reports in November of an influx of extremists from other countries. The sustained and severe human rights violations eventually resulted in retributive violence following the emergence of anti-Seleka groups commonly referred to as ‘anti–Balaka’ (anti-machete), and largely composed of ex-Seleka members, vigilante villagers and former members of the national army. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) welcomes yesterday’s decision by the US State Department to formally designate Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram, and its off-shoot organisation Ansaru, as a “foreign terrorist organisation” (FTO). The designation directs US law enforcement and regulatory agencies to block business and financial transactions with Boko Haram, and to investigate and prosecute suspects associated with the organizations. A State Department statement said, “These designations are an important and appropriate step, but only one tool in what must be a comprehensive approach by the Nigerian government to counter these groups through a combination of law enforcement, political, and development efforts, as well as military engagement, to help root out violent extremism while also addressing the legitimate concerns of the people of northern Nigeria.” Canadian Ambassador for Religious Freedoms Andrew Bennett expressed his anxiety over the recent attacks that targeted St. Mary Church in Warraq and led to the deaths of four persons, including two children. He added in a statement issued by the Canadian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, “The attacks against the worship places in Egypt are unacceptable.” He added that his country calls the Egyptian authorities for protecting the Egyptian Christians, their churches and possessions from the violence exercised against them. |
Walter Blackwood
Associate Pastor with The Bridge Community of Faith in Kelowna BC Canada. Archives
May 2017
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