I have in front of me pictures sent by a friend of dead bodies, raped girls, burnt houses – of Christians.
(If you’re new to this blog, scroll down to read other posts – this is no loony right-wing Christian rant. I love Muslims, whilst hating what is often perpetrated in their name)
What is going on in the Central African Republic is at its root an attempt at Islamisation by Seleka rebels. It is so profoundly frustrating, angering, and despairing for Christians in the CAR, and for me as a distant observer, that the international community has sought to avoid intervening and has been so hesitant to tell it as it is in the name of political correctness. Western mainstream media only ever belatedly and reluctantly calls out Muslim abuses, it seems, always balancing them out with Christian excesses at the same time. But no, church leaders and Christians in general have been targeted en masse for months on end, as literally dozens of emails sent to me by my close friend Pierre document (I lived with him and his family in 1995).
I quote from Barnabas Fund’s recent prayer bulletin: “Christians have continued to be particular targets of the Islamist Seleka rebels’ brutal, violent campaign in the Central African Republic (CAR). On 8 October, a protest by Christians in Bangassou against the rebels’ murderous activities was forcibly stopped by armed Muslims. Ten people were killed in the violence that followed, and a further four lost their lives in further attacks on 12 October.
These are only the latest in a series of incidents; murder, rape and machete attacks have become commonplace. The Islamist government installed by the rebels has failed to curb their rampages or to protect CAR’s citizens. Although it announced on 13 September that the militia had been dissolved, most of the fighters have simply been absorbed into the regular army.
The chaos has been intensified by influxes of Islamic militants from other countries, leading to fears that CAR could become a fertile breeding ground for terrorism. An EU commissioner has warned that the country could turn into “another Somalia”.
Today, at least, the CAR has made it to the front page of the BBC Website. It should have been there almost daily for the last several months, such is the grimness of what is going on. Pierre tells me of the many hiding in the forests, now month after month, in the rainy season, with nothing. I cannot imagine how horrific it is. I don’t want this blog to always have photos of dead bodies, so I’m not posting what he sent me, but I want to ask all of you to continue fervently lifiting them up. Has God forsaken His people? That is how many of them feel.
Thanks for praying, and please do share this with anyone and everyone.
For some context: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24802898