U.S. Diplomat Killed in Sudan

Terrorism?

An American diplomat in Sudan was shot and killed early Tuesday as he was coming home from a New Year’s Eve party in Khartoum, the capital.

In Washington, the United States Agency for International Development identified the victim as one of its officials, John Granville, 33, originally of Buffalo, N.Y. American officials said it was “too early to tell” if the shooting was random or planned, but Sudanese officials said the circumstances were suspicious, especially because gun crime is rare in Khartoum, considered one of the safest cities in Africa.

The United Nations had recently warned its staff in Sudan that there was credible evidence that a terrorist cell was in the country and planning to attack foreigners.

According to Western officials, Mr. Granville left a New Year’s Eve party at the British Embassy around 2:30 a.m. and headed to his home in an upscale neighborhood in central Khartoum. Shortly before he arrived, a car pulled up next to him and 17 shots were fired, Sudanese officials said. Mr. Granville’s driver, a Sudanese employee of the American Embassy, was killed instantly, and he was shot in the neck and chest. He was rushed to the hospital and died several hours later. A Sudanese government official said the attack appeared well-planned and involved two gunmen who exited their car together, with one of them shooting Mr. Granville and the other shooting the driver. Walter Braunohler, a spokesman for the American Embassy in Khartoum, said he could not comment on the circumstances because the shooting was under investigation.

The horror in the Congo

This is simply amazing.

According to victims, one of the newest groups to emerge is called the Rastas, a mysterious gang of dreadlocked fugitives who live deep in the forest, wear shiny tracksuits and Los Angeles Lakers jerseys and are notorious for burning babies, kidnapping women and literally chopping up anybody who gets in their way.

United Nations officials said the so-called Rastas were once part of the Hutu militias who fled Rwanda after committing genocide there in 1994, but now it seems they have split off on their own and specialize in freelance cruelty.

[...]

The attacks go on despite the presence of the largest United Nations peacekeeping force in the world, with more than 17,000 troops.

Few seem to be spared. Dr. Mukwege said his oldest patient was 75, his youngest 3.

(via)

Go and read the article and join me in praying for each victim mentioned in the article and then for all of the victims not mentioned. Pray that the monsters that are terrorizing this area will be stopped.

Ebola Outbreak in the Congo

And they aren't saying if it's been contained.

Christian in Eritrea tortured and killed for refusing to renounce her faith in Jesus Christ

Please join me in praying for the other 2,000 Christians imprisoned in this tiny country in Africa:

Christians have been left outraged by the death of a young woman in Eritrea, allegedly tortured to death in a military facility for refusing to renounce her faith in Jesus Christ, Open Doors has reported.

Migsti Haile, 33, died 5 September, at the Weaa Military Training Centre, and is the fourth Christian known to have been killed this way in the past year.

Open Doors, a Christian persecution and human rights watchdog, said Haile was tortured for refusing to “sign a letter recanting her faith”.

It is believed she spent 18 months in prison “under severe pressure” since she and nine other single Christian women were arrested at a church gathering in Keren.

The latest news of persecution will further increase international pressure for the Eritrean Government to take action to guarantee religious freedom.

In other Eritrea news the US has issued a warning to Eritrea over it's support of terrorism:

The US has issued Eritrea with its strongest warning yet over its alleged support for terrorism.

A senior US official said the presence of an exiled Somali Islamist leader in Asmara this week was further evidence Eritrea gave sanctuary to terrorists.

The gathering of further intelligence could lead to Eritrea being named as a state sponsor of terrorism - followed by sanctions, the official said.

Update: the integrity of the source has been challenged but The Voice of The Martyrs Canada website says the following about the country:

Until 2002, there was generally freedom to practice religion. However, Eritrean authorities have recently begun a campaign of open persecution against evangelical Christians. It began as a government-led rejection of any non-Orthodox Christian communities. In May 2002, the government announced that all churches other than Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran (Orthodox Church of Eritrea, Sunni Islam, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Lutheran-affiliated Evangelical Church of Eritrea are approved according to CIA) were to be closed immediately. Since then, hundreds of evangelical Christians have been arrested for practicing what officials are calling "a new religion." At the same time, they adamantly deny that any persecution is taking place at all. The truth of the arrests has been verified by numerous reliable reports coming out of Eritrea. The flood of arrests has motivated the United States to designate Eritrea a “Country of Particular Concern,” a designation reserved for countries with the worst of human rights offenses. In fact, in his February 7, 2005 editorial on Asmarino.com, journalist Habtom Yohannes states that the Eritrean government has established a task force specifically to eradicate all "menfesawyan" ("spirituals" - a term often used to describe charismatic Christians) from the country by the end of 2005.

By all appearances, they are well on their way to accomplishing their goal. Close to two thousand believers remain in Eritrean prisons where they face deplorable conditions. According to Release Eritrea, these numbers mean that approximately one in ten Eritrean evangelicals are presently being detained. Kelati Awalom, a member of the Rhema Church, was arrested for a third time on March 17, 2004 and was detained for three months, along with two of his daughters. According to reports, he was beaten until he was partially paralyzed. After his release, he continued to suffer the effects of the beating until he died at his home on July 24, 2005. This disregard for basic human rights is not unusual. In fact, where temperatures can soar above 40 degrees Celcius, many believers are held in metal shipping containers with no ventilation or toileting facilities.

That seems to be consistent with the article I linked to.

The website asks that you pray for:

Pray for strength to stand firm in their faith, for those in prison.

Pray that the government will stop the campaign against evangelicals and will allow freedom of religion for all.