Africa
Kenya: apologies between political rivals
In Kenya, politics and ethnic rivalry go hand in hand. On 31 May president Uhuru Kenyatta, opposition leader Raila Odinga, and their deputies exchanged hugs and apologies, cementing their pledge to promote unity…
South Africa: a church response to land issues
Christian leaders are being invited to a meeting in Johannesburg on 5 June to collaborate on a joint Bible-based response on land expropriation without compensation, for submission to a new constitutional review committee.…
Protecting Uganda’s widows and orphans
Communities in Kampala are protecting widows and orphans from having their land stolen from them. Last year, International Justice Mission organised community dialogues about women’s and children’s property rights, to build the understanding…
Nigeria: crime and violence
Kidnappers have started contacting families for ransom after scores of people were kidnapped in northern Nigeria, in an outbreak of crime unconnected to Boko Haram. Criminal gangs raid villages and steal cattle in…
DRC: Ebola outbreak
The Democratic Republic of Congo is braced for a gruesome battle, this time against the deadly virus Ebola. Congolese authorities declared the outbreak in the northwest region on 8 May; so far three…
Kenya: dam burst kills many
A dam burst in Kenya on 9 May after heavy rain, causing huge destruction and killing at least forty people. The breach happened on farmland 120 miles northwest of Nairobi. The dead are…
Nigeria: gunmen attack bishop
The Bishop of Makurdi, Nathan Inyom, was attacked by gunmen in Nigeria’s Benue state on 6 May. None of the five passengers (who included his wife Becky and his chaplain) was injured, but…
More than just English lessons
The UN has declared South Sudan a famine nation. People receive food, humanitarian aid, and English lessons. A pastor passionately shouts slowly in English to the community attending English classes. In Juba there…
South Africa: car crime crisis
Many lives are being lost in car crimes and road accidents. Road deaths are a national crisis, with 134,000+ killed over 10 years. Vehicle crime hotspots are Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town, and Durban.…
Tunisia: potential for change
There are many Christian ministries in Tunisia but only one officially recognised Christian body, a training ministry called the Augustine Association, which managed to get registration during the upheaval of the Arab Spring.…
