Myanmar: army cuts off aid to cyclone survivors
Millions who survived Myanmar's strongest cyclones are struggling to rebuild their lives. Aid trickled in until 8 June, when Myanmar's army rulers banned transport for aid groups operating in the area, making it impossible for them to deliver aid. ‘The move has turned an extreme weather event into a man-made catastrophe.’ said Human Rights Watch. Cyclone Mocha hit in May, killing hundreds. Families are reeling from dwindling aid a month after their homes were destroyed. ‘There isn't enough water or food and finding them has become much harder with the monsoon under way’, says Aye Phyu. ‘It's been raining all week. We struggle every day. The children are studying in a school with no roof. When the storm hit all the houses collapsed. There is nowhere to stay.’ Only a fraction of homes have been repaired after the storm destroyed over 2,000 villages and 280,000 homes in Rakhine state, where 78% live below the poverty line.
Syria: poor man’s cocaine
Built on the ashes of ten years of war, an illegal drug industry run by associates and relatives of President Bashar al-Assad has grown into a multibillion-dollar operation, eclipsing Syria’s legal exports and turning the country into the world’s newest narcostate. Its flagship product, captagon, is an addictive, inexpensive amphetamine, popular in Saudi Arabia and now being found in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Syria’s operations include workshops manufacturing the pills, packing plants to conceal them for export and smuggling networks to spirit them abroad. The production and distribution is overseen by the Fourth Armoured Division of the Syrian Army, commanded by Maher al-Assad, the president’s brother. Hezbollah's fighters have played a key role in helping the Syrian government turn the tide in the civil war and have long been accused of involvement in drug trafficking. The UK and US have imposed sanctions on those responsible for the captagon trade, which could be worth $57 billion. See
South Sudan: refugee camp’s conflict
People escaping the fighting in Khartoum are creating a crisis in South Sudan. Roughly 50,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to South Sudan. However, putting people from different tribal groups in the same refugee camp creates fear and anxiety, with tensions boiling over. In many of these regions, there is much hostility. Even in the city of Malakal 13 people were killed in a conflict in the United Nations refugee camp. Orphanages are being evacuated and children displaced. For refugee children, going from fighting in their home country to fighting in the refugee camp is frightening. Child Evangelism Fellowship has been serving refugee camps in South Sudan since 2016. Its staff now want to reach this new wave of Sudanese refugees and children pouring in from the northern border. It has a burden to bring relief, comfort, and the gospel. However, some of South Sudan’s northern cities are difficult and even dangerous to get into.
Birmingham: giant prayer wall
Christians of all denominations gathered on the outskirts of Birmingham to bless the land on which a giant prayer monument will be built. The construction of the 169-feet tall Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will begin soon and when completed will be the largest Christian monument in the world. It will be in the form of an endless loop, containing the text of the prayers of millions of people around the world which have been answered. About 300 people attended the consecration of the land. The monument’s founder, Richard Gamble, said, ‘The blessing of the land ensures that it is built on a sacred foundation of prayer and gratitude. This iconic monument, dedicated to the power of prayer, showcases an endless global database of stories that Jesus answered, making hope visible to future generations.’
