Nigeria: Church bombed in Bauchi
A suicide bomber has attacked a church in Bauchi, northern Nigeria, killing a woman and a child and injuring 48, according to the Red Cross. Police said the bomber's car was stopped at the gates of St John's Church where he detonated explosives packed inside the vehicle. Bauchi has often been targeted by the Islamist Boko Haram group, which wants to impose Sharia law across Nigeria. Sunday attacks on churches took place regularly earlier this year. Doctors in Bauchi warned that many of the injuries were serious and the death toll could rise. Speaking at a nearby hospital, Bauchi Deputy Police Commissioner T. Stevens told journalists: ‘The situation has been brought under control. We have our men minding all areas.’ Attacks in central and northern Nigeria blamed Boko Haram of haveing killed some 1,400 people since 2010.
Pray: for a spiritual breakthrough in Nigeria that would lead to a ceasing of terrorist activities. (Ps.7:9)
Nigeria: Crackdown on Boko Haram
Nigerian forces have killed 35 suspected Boko Haram members in a crackdown on the insurgent group in the north eastern city of Damaturu, Yobe State the country's military says. ‘The Joint Task Force has succeeded in killing 35 Boko Haram terrorists in shootouts between Sunday evening through Monday,’ said Lieutenant Lazarus Eli, a military spokesman in Yobe, of which Damaturu is the capital. A round-the-clock curfew was imposed in the city late on Saturday, ahead of the operation that also led to the arrest of 60 suspected Boko Haram members. The curfew has been relaxed and residents are now allowed out of their homes from 7:00am to 10:00pm, Eli said. The ban on movements in Yobe's economic capital of Potiskum has also been eased. Military forces went door-to-door through three Damaturu neighbourhoods beginning late on Sunday and engaged militants in ‘a fierce exchange of gunfire’ through to the early hours of Monday morning, the spokesman added in a statement.
Pray: for success for the authorities as they seek to control the Boko Haram insurgents. (Pr.10:11)
More: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/2012924205430561216.html
Syria: To dominate UN meetings
Syria's conflict is expected to dominate the discussion as some 120 world leaders converge on New York for the week-long United Nations General Debate. Government forces are bombing the city of Aleppo even as talks get underway. Meanwhile, there's word from the military that more than 2,000 Syrian soldiers have defected to Jordan since fighting began last year. The number of refugees who have entered Jordan through unofficial border crossings has reached more than 74,000 Syrians. Christian Aid Mission expects that the refugees will greatly increase in the next few months. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has reported that 100,000 refugees have fled Syria in the month of August, raising the estimated total number of Syrian refugees to 234,368 as of September 2nd. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees have raised their total death toll to between 23,000 and 26,000.
Pray: for the gathering of world leaders that a way forward will be found to bring peace to the region. (Ps.34:14)
Rwanda: Religion not a business - Archbishop
The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, Onesphore Rwaje, has reminded religious leaders to treat their churches as holy places of worship and not self-enriching business ventures. While addressing over 50 religious leaders at the Democracy and Peace Week dialogue, Rwaje said some members of the public shun going to church due to disappointment of messages relayed. ‘Religious leadership is a calling from God and it is about teaching the Word of God, and not looking for money from the faithful. There are biblical principles urging churchgoers to give offerings and tithes, but it should not be used as a platform to squeeze money out of believers,’ Rwaje advised. He added: ‘Religious leaders are allowed to have their personal business ventures besides performing their church duties; therefore, they should act faithfully and please God by keeping the two positions independent of each other. They must separate God's work from their personal work’.
Pray: for the leaders of the Church that they will concentrate on building God’s kingdom and not on things of the world. (Eph.5:5)
