We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way
- Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Sudanese militia have been accused of killings, sexual violence, looting and arson during eight days of attacks on villages south of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. The UN said there were reports of “gross human rights abuses” linked to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group, which has escalated attacks on civilians in el-Gezira state since the area’s key commander was reported to have defected to government forces on 20 October. The Sudan Doctors Network said on Saturday that 124 people had been killed and dozens wounded after an attack on the village of al-Suhra. The UN has reported that nearly 47,000 people have been displaced from their homes over the past week, mostly to neighbouring states, and at least 30 villages have been attacked. The RSF has suffered key battlefield losses around Khartoum to the Sudanese army. Both sides have been fighting for control of Sudan since April 2023, causing the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis. Famine was declared in the Zamzam displacement camp in Darfur in August, with warnings that extreme hunger would spread if the warring parties did not allow aid in.
God, this “forgotten war” is anything but for those who must live with its consequences every day. We pray for the civilians who have been brutalized by this violence for too long. We pray for peace and justice in Sudan.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has proposed a two-day truce in Gaza that would potentially pave the way for a long-term ceasefire, as Israel has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the northern areas of the Strip in less than a month. El-Sisi’s proposal, which includes exchanging four Israeli captives held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, came as thousands of trapped civilians endure relentless Israeli attacks that have killed at least 50 people, including five journalists, since Sunday. At a news conference in Cairo on Sunday, el-Sisi said the 48-hour lull in fighting and prisoner exchange would be followed by more talks in the next 10 days, with the hope that negotiators could hammer out a peace deal. Out of 251 captives seized by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attack inside the Israeli territory, 97 are believed to be still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military claims are dead. More than 100 captives were released during a weeklong truce last November.
There was no immediate comment from Israel or Hamas on the plan.
We pray for peace and justice immediately, Lord. We have prayed and prayed and prayed and nothing has stopped this horrific cycle of violence. May your people be empowered around the globe, and especially in Israel and Gaza, to lay down their arms and allow all parties to go home. What comes next can come next, but now, God we need you to stop the violence.
One year after world leaders made a landmark promise to move away from fossil fuels, countries have essentially made no progress in cutting emissions and tackling global warming, according to a United Nations report issued on Thursday. Global greenhouse gas emissions soared to a record 57 gigatons last year and are not on track to decline much, if at all, this decade, the report found. Collectively, nations have been so slow to curtail their use of oil, gas and coal that it now looks unlikely that countries will be able to limit global warming to the levels they agreed to under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. “Another year passed without action means we’re worse off,” said Anne Olhoff, a climate policy expert based in Denmark and a co-author of the assessment, known as the Emissions Gap Report. The report comes a month before diplomats from around the world are scheduled to meet in Baku, Azerbaijan, for annual United Nations climate talks, where countries will discuss how they might step up efforts to address global warming. According to that same report, current climate policies will result in global warming of more than 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, more than twice the rise agreed to nearly a decade ago. The annual Emissions Gap report, which takes stock of countries' promises to tackle climate change compared with what is needed, finds the world faces as much as 3.1 C (5.6 F) of warming above pre-industrial levels by 2100 if governments do not take greater action on slashing planet-warming emissions.
Lord, help us. So many of us have marched and protested and are exhausted trying to wake up the world to the fact that we are asleep at the wheel about to create a nightmarish existence for those who survive. For those who deny this threat or fail to take it seriously, we ask You to wake them up to action!
New data from Food Banks Canada suggests more people than ever are facing this difficult decision. Its annual survey of food bank use in Canada recorded more than two million visits in March 2024 -- nearly double the monthly visits five years ago in March 2019, and six per cent above last year's record-breaking figure. The study, released Monday, says rapid inflation, housing costs and insufficient social supports are driving new levels of poverty and food insecurity. That includes outsized demand from renters, racialized groups, people with disabilities, newcomers to Canada and residents across the North, and a "deeply concerning" need among seniors and families with children. Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley said food banks are being pushed to "the brink" and low-income Canadians need help immediately. The report calls on governments to introduce measures that include rent assistance and a monthly payment to low-income groups to help off-set rent and food costs. "HungerCount 2024" says there were 2,059,636 visits to food banks across Canada in March 2024 -- up six per cent from 2023 and 90 per cent from 2019. It says one-third of food bank clients were children -- a trend that's held steady but in 2024 totaled nearly 700,000 monthly visits -- while nearly one-in-five clients, or 18 per cent, were employed. Nearly 70 per cent lived in market rent housing.
We pray for Canadians across 10 provinces and 3 territories who are struggling to put food on the table. We pray for relief from the government bodies tasked with carrying for their citizens, we pray for businesses and non-profits, and we pray for neighbours to support this soaring need for food.
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ReFrame Ministries shares resources for your church on this day along with a story of hope despite persecution in West Africa.
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