10/40 Window Emergency Prayer Alert-Chad- Christians warn of “humanitarian disaster” in African nation’s civil war
Intercessors are needed to pray for Chad as Christian relief workers have warned of “a humanitarian disaster” in the African nation’s civil war. Thousands of civilians fled the capital N’Djamena early Monday, February 4, 2008, after rebel forces said they had pulled back from the city following two days of fighting against government forces. World Vision, which has some 250 staff members in country, said the African nation could turn “from a political crisis to a humanitarian disaster if fighting does not stop soon.” Chad’s civil war pits Sudan-backed Muslim rebels against the pro-French government of President Idriss Deby. Meanwhile, a Polish missionary priest serving in Chad has reported that Muslim rebels are threatening Christians in the African nation. “The rebel leader has said Chad is to be a Muslim country,” said Jedrzej Piasek, a priest who served one year in Chad’s Doba diocese. >>Click here to view the entire article online. Emergency Prayer Alert-Chad Christians warn of “humanitarian disaster” in African nation’s civil warWIN PRAYER ALERT
Intercessors are needed to pray for Chad as Christian relief workers have warned of “a humanitarian disaster” in the African nation’s civil war. Thousands of civilians fled the capital N’Djamena early Monday, February 4, 2008, after rebel forces said they had pulled back from the city following two days of fighting against government forces, BosNewsLife reported. The clashes, centered on the presidential palace, also forced Christian humanitarian group World Vision to move staff and their families to safe houses and to close its office after it was attacked over the weekend of February 2, BosNewsLife reported. World Vision, which has some 250 staff members in country, said the African nation could turn “from a political crisis to a humanitarian disaster if fighting does not stop soon.” Chad’s civil war pits Sudan-backed Muslim rebels against the pro-French government of President Idriss Deby. Itno declared a “stunning victory” Wednesday, February 5 over rebel forces and said he was back in control, as Red Cross officials put the toll from weekend clashes at more than 160 dead, Agency France Presse reported. “We have total control not only of the capital but of the country,” said Deby at his first press conference since hundreds of insurgents poured into Ndjamena in a bid to overthrow his regime. The rebels accuse France of using tanks and helicopters, part of a French contingent based in Chad, to help President Deby beat off their assault on N’Djamena, Reuters reported. France denies its forces were directly involved in combat. The rebel offensive began from bases in Sudan, in what observers described as “a lightning desert march” to the center of the capital, marking the biggest threat to Deby’s rule since he himself took power in a coup in 1990. The rebels are being sponsored by Khartoum and Saudi Arabia to effect regime change in Chad and install a pro-Arab Islamist regime that will be loyal to Khartoum and thus resistant to occupation by “infidels,” according to the Jubilee Campaign. “If these rebels are successful in taking N’Djamena, it will be a major coup for Sudan, Wahhabi Islam and Arabism, with Libya possibly benefiting also,” wrote World Defense Review columnist Walid Phares. “It would be a crushing blow for liberty and security in Chad and the wider region and would doubtless herald an era of unprecedented persecution for the Chadian Church.” However, rebel leaders, many of them former close allies of the president, say they are fighting for democracy, after Deby changed the constitution in June 2005 to allow unlimited presidential terms, and declared himself the winner of the last poll in 2006, widely viewed as fraudulent, the Voice of America network reported. “We did not expect things to happen this quickly,” World Vision’s Chad Director Levourne Passiri said in a statement, BosNewsLife reported. “I fear that the entire capital could be destroyed. There is already much human and economic damage. Many civilians have been killed.” Meanwhile, Chad’s government is currently digging a 3-metre deep trench around the capital to prevent a repeat of the February 4, 2008 attack, when rebels in pickup trucks rolled into N’Djamena and fought two days of heavy battles, Reuters reported. World Vision said it fears that if a negotiated ceasefire “or a mediated transition of power” are not achieved soon, “this could trigger factional fighting that would displace (more) civilians.” The organization has worked in Chad since 1985 and says it currently serves some 400,000 people. Community development programs are located in central and southern Chad, and focus on health and nutrition, education, HIV/AIDS prevention, water and sanitation, micro loans to poor entrepreneurs, and agricultural improvements to prevent frequent food shortages. Meanwhile, a Polish missionary priest serving in Chad has reported that Muslim rebels are threatening Christians in the African nation. “The rebel leader has said Chad is to be a Muslim country,” said Jedrzej Piasek, a priest who served one year in Chad’s Doba diocese, CWNews.com reported. “He does not want priests and consecrated (religion). The first thing he will do after winning the civil war is expel all missionaries.” With 200 people groups and 120 languages, Chad is one of the most unreached countries in Africa and presents a challenge to the Gospel, according to Operation World. Additionally, Many Chadian Muslims have been recruited as mercenaries to attack and kill Christians in Nigeria. Pray for:
Sources: BosNewsLife, Agency France Presse, Reuters, Jubilee Campaign, World Defense Review, Voice of America, Reuters, CWNews.com, Open Doors, Operation World
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