Africa
Nigeria: meningitis outbreak
An outbreak of meningitis has been reported in six Nigerian states, infecting over a thousand and killing 140. Meningitis causes acute inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. The current outbreak is the…
South Sudan bishops (1): day of prayer a ‘mockery’
The UN warns of genocide, officials accuse the government of war crime atrocities, and Bishop Santo Doggale of Juba denounced President Kiir’s ‘National Day of Prayer’ as a ‘political prayer’. The president had…
South Sudan bishops (2): famine ‘man-made’
South Sudan’s Catholic bishops have issued a pastoral letter condemning the civil war and labelling the famine ‘man-made’. The document responds to reports from all seven dioceses. They denounce government and opposition violence…
Chad: an unlikely open door
It's a volatile neighbourhood with conflicts, terrorism, and food shortages on all sides. With Libya to its north, Sudan to its east, Central African Republic and Cameroon to its south, and Nigeria to…
South Africa: intercession momentum
From March to May intercessors will be praying for healing for the 'heart' of South Africa, focusing on reconciliation and deep-rooted pain and animosity harboured there. Since January, intercessors have prayed for the…
Gambia: new president - new era?
As previously reported (see Prayer Alert 17 February), Gambia's new president Adama Barrow has announced that the country will no longer officially be called an Islamic republic, reversing the decision made by his…
Sudan: Christian aid workers need freedom
Czechoslovakian aid worker Petr Jašek, who had been sentenced to 24 years in a Sudanese prison, was released when 400,000+ people signed a petition for his release. However, pastor Hassan Abduelraheem Kodi and…
Pray for justice
In a recent operation in Ghana, 24 young boys were rescued from slavery and finally set free. The boys, the youngest only 7-years-old, had been forced to work on fishing boats on Lake…
Global: 1.4 million children at risk of starvation
It has been six years since the world had a famine, but now UNICEF report that nearly 1.4 million children are at ‘imminent risk’ of death from famines in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan…
Ghana: young boys rescued on Lake Volta
Twenty-four boys used their small bodies every day to dive into the deep water of the lake to untangle nets for their masters. It was dangerous, back-breaking work, made worse by violent abuse,…