RLPB 713. Indonesian Papua: Melanesian Christians Hunted in Darkness

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 713 | 04 Oct 2023
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

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INDONESIAN PAPUA: MELANESIAN CHRISTIANS HUNTED IN DARKNESS
By Elizabeth Kendal

CONTEXT: ‘THEY’RE HUNTING US’

On 7 April Indonesian special forces officers who were ‘sweeping’ Kuyawage village, Lanny Jaya Regency, Highland Papua (Pegunungan) Province – torching houses and a church and terrorising locals – detained four teenage boys and two young men. Accusing the boys of being members of the rebel West Papua Liberation Army or TPNPB, the officers transported them to regional military headquarters 100km away where they were beaten and tortured. High school student and promising musician Wity Unue (17) was tortured to death. Temporarily disappeared, the other five Papuans were only released after human rights advocates tipped off local media. Papuan human rights activist Raga Kogeya was present when the boys were released. ‘The kids had all been tortured … they’d been tied up and then burned. [The military] had heated up machetes and knives and pressed it against their skin … They didn’t even look like humans. They were burnt from head to toe. They were in a really bad way.’ The military brought Wity Unue’s body back to Kuyawage in a box. When they couldn’t find his family, because they had fled the military violence, they dumped the cardboard coffin in a clearing at the end of the street and set it on fire with his body inside.

Yones Douw, the head of the peace and justice department for the Protestant Tabernacle (Kingmi) Church of Papua, explains that the Indonesian military routinely detains, tortures and kills Papuan boys and young men, and then says, ‘Oh, we thought they were guerrillas’. ‘But,’ objects Douw, ‘there’s no way that the guerrillas are walking around looking like schoolkids – that doesn’t happen. Guerillas are not walking around in the streets. This is happening to ordinary people.’ What’s more, he adds, more often than not, they are little more than ‘kids’. Only days before the boys were taken away, soldiers opened fire on a group of women and children returning home with string bags filled with food after shopping in a neighbouring village. A teenage girl named Parena Karunggu (16) was left with a serious gaping bullet wound to her lower back; the bullet lodged in her abdomen. Papuans (Melanesian Christians) are convinced that the military (Javanese Muslims) know they are attacking civilians. Nopinanus Kogoya, an uncle of one of the tortured boys, laments: ‘They’re hunting us in this inhumane way.’

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HIGHLAND PAPUA: CHURCH MEMBERS KILLED AND ASSAULTED
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approx. conflict area marked in red
(click on map to enlarge)
map source: mapworld

On 15 September five Papuan youths were found dead at the mouth of the Brasa River in Dekai, the capital of Yahukimo Regency, Highland Papua Province. The Indonesian military claims the youths died in a gunfight with Indonesian security forces. However, Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) said, ‘They’re not our members. They were purely civilians who wanted to return to their villages and were shot and bombed by the Indonesian military.’ The youths – boys aged between 15 and 18 years old – were all members of the Protestant Tabernacle (Kingmi) Church of Papua. According to Pastor Atias Matuan, Chair of the Yahukimo Church Fellowship (PGGY), the five youths regularly delivered food to the village after buying it in Dekai. Pastor Matuan accompanied the victims’ families to the Yahukimo Regional General Hospital to collect the bodies which, he said, had ‘gunshot wounds to the stomach, chest and legs’. The boys were buried in Dekai on 19 September.

On 17 September Indonesia’s Nduga District Police and the Damai Cartenz Task Force [anti-KKB (armed criminal groups)] raided a residential house in Kenyam village, Nduga Regency, Highland Papua Province and, despite not having a warrant, arbitrarily arrested three Papuan men. Then men were tortured to reveal names of those who had attended a recent burial of TPNPB members. After one of the torture victims named Reverend Urbanus Kogeya, the police released the torture victims – because there was no evidence against them – and headed to the Kingmi Papua Office in Kenyam. Arriving at the Kingme church office at 11:30pm, the police entered by breaking down the door. Inside the property, asleep on the second floor, were several local Kingmi Papua Church leaders and members who had stayed late at the property in preparation for a church event. They would be the next Melanesian Christians to experience the racial-religious hatred of Javanese Muslim police.

Tortured, Gira Gwijangge (19) - 17 Sept 2023.
Also has wounds to right shoulder and left knee.
(Image: YKKMP/Kingmi Papua/
Human Rights Monitor)

Human Rights Monitor (28 September) has published a list of victims, including names, age, sex, and injuries sustained in the violent raid (photos included). The victims include an 85-year-old man, four women and four pastors. When Reverend Nataniel Tabuni asked the officers why they had come and broken in at night, one of the officers punched him three times in the face. According to Tabuni, one officer said, ‘You are the Church of Satan, the Church of Terrorists! You are supporting Egianus Kogeya [TPNPB Commander in Nduga] under the pretext of praying.’ The head of Nduga Parliament (DPRD), Ikabus Gwijangge heard the commotion and rushed to the scene. When Gwijangge protested the police violence, a Damai Cartenz officer threatened him saying, ‘Stupid parliamentarian. I’ll come after you!...’ as another officer forced the MP outside. Multiple human rights organisations have condemned the incident.

The Papuan provinces are the most militarised region in all Indonesia. Catholic media reports (22 September), ‘According to data from the advocacy group Imparsial, the number of soldiers posted in Papua is 16,900, most of them belonging to trained combat units.’ According to Kontras (The Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence), there have been 31 incidents of violence including shootings, torture, arbitrary arrests and other acts of violence during January to August this year. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Security Minister General (ret.) Wiranto is seeking an extra 60 billion rupiah (roughly US$4 million) for a campaign against what Jakarta calls ‘Papua misinformation’. A major propaganda campaign is being prepared; a smokescreen to obscure reality. That should worry everyone who cares about the plight of the Papuan Church: the legacy of Dutch, North American and Australian pioneer and martyr missionaries of the early-mid 20thC [see RLPB 519, How Will the Story End? 10 Sep 2019].


PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR MERCIFUL GOD WILL:

* open the door into Indonesian’s Papuan provinces so that independent monitors and journalists, and international aid organisations, may have access to this long-closed region where lack of transparency, lack of ‘light’ and lack of accountability has only worked to fuel human rights abuses and enable impunity. We pray this today with a sense of urgency as geo-strategic Indonesia moves to have criticism rejected as ‘misinformation’. Lord have mercy! ‘Let there be light’.

* intervene in Indonesia to demilitarise the Papuan provinces and advance Papuan autonomy so that the region’s indigenous predominantly Christian Melanesians might be free to live, work and worship in peace. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

* comfort and sustain all those who are grieving the loss of loved ones murdered by Indonesian forces, as well as all those who have been arbitrarily detained, beaten, tortured and terrorised by Indonesian forces in recent times; may fear not overwhelm them; may anger and hatred have no place in their hearts; may the God of all grace supply their every need.

* help the Papuan Church remain strong in faith through these dark and testing times; may the Papuan Church commit to prayer and to seeking mercy and help from the Lord who planted her in the land and loves her with unfailing love (hesed). May the Body of Christ rise to pray with her and for her.

‘Remember ... those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body’ (Hebrews 13:3b ESV).


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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INDONESIAN PAPUA: CHURCH MEMBERS KILLED AND ASSAULTED

(1) On 15 September five Papuan youths were found dead by the Brasa River in Dekai, Highland Papua Province; their bodies riddled with bullets. The Indonesian military claims the youths were ‘guerillas’ who died in a gunfight with Indonesian security forces. However, the five were all schoolboys and members of the Protestant Tabernacle (Kingmi) Church of Papua who, according to Pastor Atias Matuan, regularly delivered food in their village after buying it in Dekai. (2) At 11:30pm, on 17 September, Indonesian security forces raided the Kingmi Papua Office in Kenyam, Highland Papua Province, after a Papuan claimed under torture that a Kingmi pastor had attended a burial of rebel fighters. Several church leaders (including four pastors) and members (including four women) who were asleep on the second floor were savagely beaten. Please pray.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate for the persecuted Church. The Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) is a donor funded ministry. To support this ministry visit www.ElizabethKendal.com

Elizabeth has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016). She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

For more information see www.ElizabethKendal.com

RLPB 636. Papua (Indonesia): UN experts call for 'urgent action'

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 636 | Wed 09 March 2022
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

View archives at Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) blog. 
The RLPB is sponsored by Christian Faith and Freedom Inc. 

PAPUA: UN EXPERTS CALL FOR 'URGENT ACTION'
Praying for an end to the slow-motion genocide of a betrayed and abandoned Christian people.
by Elizabeth Kendal

On 1 March three United Nations (UN) human rights experts issued a joint statement claiming, 'Urgent action is needed to end ongoing human rights violations against indigenous Papuans.' The statement, entitled 'Indonesia: UN experts sound alarm on serious Papua abuses, call for urgent aid', was published on the website of the UN Office of the High Commission on Human Rights and signed by Francisco Cali Tzay, UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples; Morris Tidball-Binz, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; and Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. While the statement makes no mention of racial or religious distinctions, it must be noted that the human rights violations are being perpetrated by Indonesia's mostly Javanese Muslim military against indigenous, ethnic Melanesian, mostly Christian, Papuan communities. Racial-religious hatred plays an enormous role in the violence and has done ever since the Indonesian invasion of 1962 [see RLPB 426, Papua: A desperate and risky plea, 4 Oct 2017].

Article: 'In Papua, pioneer missionaries
pass baton to local Church.'
(Mission Network News, 9 Aug 2019)

Indonesian military violence against indigenous Papuans escalated markedly in December 2018, after Papuan separatists killed 16 Indonesian labourers working on the controversial Trans-Papua highway. I (E.Kendal) commented at the time: 'These are watershed days. The future of a Christian people is in the balance' [see, Papua: The Christian Crisis in Eastern Indonesia, RLM, 14 April 2019]. Since then, according to the UN experts, the number of displaced Papuans has risen to 'between 60,000 to 100,000 people', most of whom have not been able to return to their homes. As the experts note, while many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) live in temporary shelters or stay with relatives, 'thousands have fled to the forests where they are exposed to the harsh climate in the highlands without access to food, healthcare, and education facilities'. The UN experts were 'particularly disturbed by reports that humanitarian aid to displaced Papuans is being obstructed by the authorities ... In several incidents, church workers have been prevented by security forces from visiting villages where IDPs are seeking shelter.'

The security situation in Papua's central highlands has 'dramatically deteriorated' since the 26 April 2021 killing of a high-ranking military officer by the West Papua National Liberation Army. 'Between April and November 2021, we have received allegations indicating several instances of extrajudicial killings, including of young children, enforced disappearance, torture and inhuman treatment and the forced displacement of at least 5,000 indigenous Papuans by security forces.' RLPB warned of this in May 2021, after the Indonesian government categorised Papuan resistance groups as 'terrorists' and deployed counter-terrorism forces into the region, including the 400-strong elite Infantry 315 / Garuda Battalion, also known as 'Satan's Forces' [see RLPB 597, 'Satan's Forces' Enter a Darkened Papua, 12 May 2021]. The UN experts note: 'These [numerous cases of alleged abuses] may represent the tip of the iceberg given that access to the region is severely restricted making it difficult to monitor events on the ground.' The UN has now joined the European Union in calling for an end to impunity, adding that 'independent monitors and journalists must be allowed access to the region'.

Article: Life and Death in ‘The Land of the Clouds’
by Jeremy Weber, CT 23 Nov 2020.
Image: Timothy Dalrymple

The UN experts had written to the Indonesian government expressing their concerns in December 2021 but had not been impressed with the response they received; hence their decision to go public. Indonesia's response on 1 March was to denounce the 'biased news' issued by the 'so-called "UN Human Rights experts"' as 'unconstructive and baseless'. The Indonesian government will lodge a formal protest through the Human Rights Council against the experts' 'unprofessional, ill-intentioned, one-sided' statement, claiming it is nothing but 'click-bait' aimed at creating 'negative public opinion'.

On Wednesday 2 March, Papuan gunmen killed eight technicians working on a telecommunications mast in a remote area. The West Papua National Liberation Army has claimed responsibility. A further escalation in military violence is all but guaranteed.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL:

* intervene to remove all obstacles and pave the way for humanitarian aid to reach every displaced and traumatised Papuan who needs it; may churches and Christian organisations involved in helping and sheltering the displaced and in distributing aid receive everything they need: from personnel, transport and supplies, to permission, support and safe passage.

* open the door into Indonesian's Papuan provinces so that independent monitors and journalists, and international aid organisations, may have access to the long-closed region where lack of transparency and lack of accountability has only worked to fuel human rights abuses.

* help the Papuan Church remain strong in faith through these dark and testing times; may the Papuan Church commit to prayer and to seeking mercy and help from the Lord who planted her in the land and loves her with unfailing love (hesed). May the Body of Christ rise to pray with her and for her. 'Remember ... those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body' (Hebrews 13:3b ESV).

To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: 'What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!' (Psalm 30:8-10 ESV).

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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UN EXPERTS CALL FOR 'URGENT ACTION' IN PAPUA

On 1 March three United Nations (UN) human rights experts issued a joint statement calling for urgent action to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Indonesia's West Papua and Papua provinces. The number of displaced Papuans is now between 60,000 to 100,000 people, thousands of whom remain stranded in the bush. Military violence escalated in May 2021 after the Indonesian government deployed counter-terrorism forces to the region. The UN experts regard the numerous cases of abuses they received as 'the tip of the iceberg'. They were 'particularly disturbed by reports that humanitarian aid to displaced Papuans is being obstructed by the authorities ... In several incidents, church workers have been prevented by security forces from visiting villages where IDPs are seeking shelter'. Please pray that 'urgent action' will be forthcoming.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Research at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom Inc (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

RLPB 603. Papua (Indonesia): Islamic Terror Plot Foiled; State Terror Continues.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 603 | Wed 23 Jun 2021
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

To subscribe (free) or view archives, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog. 

PAPUA: ISLAMIC TERROR PLOT FOILED; THREAT REMAINS
- meanwhile state terror continues unabated, as does internet blackout.
by Elizabeth Kendal

Archbishop of Merauke,
Petrus Mandagi.

In a series of raids commencing 28 May, Indonesia's counter-terrorism squad, Densus 88, arrested 12 Islamic terror suspects in Papua's south-eastern Merauke Regency. According to Merauke district police chief, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Untung Sangaji, the terror suspects were preparing to carry out suicide bombings in at least two police stations and several churches in Merauke city, Jagebob, Kurik, Semangga and Tanah Miring. They were also plotting to kill the Catholic Archbishop of Merauke, Petrus Canisius Mandagi. It is the second time the Archbishop has been targeted for assassination. On 1 January the would-be assassins turned up at the Archbishop's residence, only to find he was out of town. On Sunday 30 May the would-be suicide bombers made their way to Merauke's Cathedral of St Francis Xavier only to find that the Archbishop was out of town and the police were ready and waiting in place.

click on map to enlarge.

The 12 terror suspects are members of the Islamic State-affiliate Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) group, the same group that carried out the suicide bombing at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Sunday 28 March, killing themselves and wounding some 20 church officials and members [RLPB 591 (31 March 2021)]. JAD is just one of several jihadists groups to have threatened to wage jihad in the Papuan Provinces [RLPB 523 (9 Oct 2019)]. Consequently, whilst this plot may have been neutralised, the jihadist threat remains.

Meanwhile, in the Central Highlands, state terror continues unabated. Speaking from Papua's capital, Jayapura, Catholic priest Father John Djonga explains that as soon as Jakarta labelled Papuan armed groups 'terrorist', it gave Indonesian troops a licence to 'shoot anyone'. Experts at Melbourne University agree, warning that the anti-terror approach will 'further embed a culture of impunity for state violations of rights' and 'fuel the cycle of violence that has claimed the lives of many ordinary people, from schoolchildren to pastors'.

Reverend Laban Hagabal.
Shot dead by Indonesian counter-terror
forces, 4am, 16 May 2021.

With the internet still down, news is scarce. However, Human Rights Papua reports that on 15 May security forces attacked the Central Highland villages of Toegi, Mayuberi, Kabuki, Amungi, Olenki, Maki and Ayali with ground troops and two attack helicopters. A Kingmi Papua church (Protestant) in Kabuki was reportedly damaged during the air raid. [The Indonesian military has long accused the Gereja Kemah Injil Papua (Gospel Tabernacle Church Papua), or Kingmi Church, of being actively pro-OPM (Free Papua Movement).] Shortly after the attack, all villagers from Toegi, including Kingmi pastor Reverend Laban Hagabal, decided to flee to Demaju Village. Shortly after they arrived, a group of West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN PB) fighters also arrived in Demaju. At around 4.00 am the next morning, security forces launched an attack on Demaju Village. As panicked Papuans fled in every direction, Reverend Laban Hagabal and one TPN PB member were shot dead. As of 1 June, relatives, church representatives and a tribal leader had not been permitted to retrieve the bodies.

On 25 May a group of Church leaders, including Archbishop Petrus Mandagi of Merauke, Papua, Indonesian Bishops' Conference president Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta and Reverend Ronny Mandang, chairman of the Fellowship of Indonesian Evangelical Churches and Institutions, Jakarta, met with Co-ordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD and offered to mediate talks between the Indonesian government and Papuan armed groups. With thousands of ethnic Melanesian, predominantly Christian, indigenous Papuans now displaced throughout the Central Highlands - many without food, clean water, medical aid or shelter - it is urgent that military violence cease and that a door be opened for humanitarian assistance. Human rights-affirming democracies must take a stand against Indonesian state terror in Papua.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL:

* intervene in Papua for the sake of his precious people! Lord in your mercy, protect Papua's churches and pastors from Islamic jihadist terror and state-sanctioned military violence. Lord in your mercy, grant Christian leaders engaged in mediation, advocacy and decision-making an abundance of wisdom, discernment, creativity and authority.

'You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you' (Psalm 89:13-14 ESV).

* open a door so that displaced Papuans might receive all the humanitarian assistance they require! Lord in your mercy, supply their every need for shelter, food, clean water, medical aid, security and spiritual comfort.

* facilitate the entrance into Papua of international observers so that we might know what is happening in the Central Highlands. May the Indonesian government be held to account! May the nations and organisations that first betrayed and then abandoned the Papuan people repent and make things right!

For background and more prayer points see RLPB 597 (12 May). 

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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TERROR IN INDONESIA'S PAPUA PROVINCE

In raids commencing on 28 May, Indonesia's counter-terrorism squad arrested 12 Islamic terror suspects in Papua's south-eastern Merauke regency. All were members of JAD, one of several jihadist groups threatening to wage jihad in the Papuan Provinces. They had been preparing to attack police stations and several churches throughout Merauke. Meanwhile state terror continues unabated in the Central Highlands. On 15-16 May Indonesian forces backed by two attack helicopters attacked a string of villages in Puncak Jaya Regency driving thousands of Papuans from their homes. Protestant pastor Reverend Laban Hagabal of Kingmi Church Papua was shot and killed in a pre-dawn raid. Thousands of mostly Christian Papuans are displaced; many in the bush. The internet remains down, and the region remains closed; hunger and death loom. Please pray.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Advocacy at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom Inc. (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

RLPB 597. Papua (Indonesia): 'Satan's Forces' Enter a Darkened Papua.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 597 | Wed 12 May 2021
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and encourage others to sign up to “Follow by email” on the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) blog. ‘For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds’ (2 Corinthians 10:4 ESV). 

PAPUA (INDONESIA): 'SATAN'S FORCES' ENTER A DARKENED PAPUA
by Elizabeth Kendal

On 25 April armed rebels in Papua's Puncak Regency shot and killed a senior Indonesian intelligence official in what analysts suspect was a planned assassination [see RLPB 595 (27 April)]. Indonesian President Joko Widodo immediately called for retaliation and, on 29 April, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD announced that Papuan armed criminal groups (Kelompok Kriminal Bersenjata: KKB) would now be categorised as 'terrorists' in line with Counterterrorism Law No. 8/2018 which grants the security forces expanded powers.

Papuan Governor Lukas Enembe immediately urged the government to reconsider, warning that the 'terrorist' designation could bring the Papuans great harm. Numerous human rights organisations and advocates - including Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International and the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) - similarly denounced the move, concerned that the terrorist designation could trigger racist violence against Papuans outside of Papua. It could be used to justify mass, gross human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture and killings, much of it compounded by the extreme racial-religious hatred so many Javanese Muslims (especially those in the Indonesian military) have for their ethnicly Melanesian, predominantly Christian compatriots. On Sunday 2 May Indonesian media reported that the Indonesian military (TNI) had deployed its 400-strong elite Infantry 315/Garuda Battalion to Papua. Video footage has been released of the battle-hardened battalion - which earned its nickname 'Satan's forces' (pasukan setan) in East Timor where it came to be known for its brutal methods - performing military drills in Papua on 1 May.

'Satan's Forces' perform military drills in Papua, 1 May 2021.

On 4 May Papuan leader-in-exile Benny Wenda issued a statement in which he warned: 'Huge Indonesian military operations, some of the largest in years, are imminent in West Papua. The internet is being cut off, hundreds more troops are being deployed, and we are receiving reports that West Papuan civilians are fleeing from their villages in Intan Jaya, Puncak Jaya, and Nduga regencies ... This looks like it will be the biggest military operation in West Papua since the late 1970s'. Wenda warned that, along with Satan's Forces, the Jala Mangkara Detachment (Denjaka), elite troops of the Indonesian Navy, are also being deployed for what he insists is 'state terrorism'. On 6 May Reuters confirmed that internet services have been disrupted in the provincial capital of Jayapura and nearby Sentani (40km to the west) since 30 April. Exiled Indonesian rights activist, Victoria Koman, said she had received reports that mobile and internet services in Puncak have also been disrupted. Papua has gone dark!

As tensions soared, Andreas Harsono, a researcher with HRW's Indonesia office, urged the Indonesian government to put the threat posed by Papuan KKB into perspective: 'According to Indonesian military estimates, they only have (around) 200 weapons ... This is going to affect these indigenous people so much.' Which brings us to the truth! The real goal of this totally disproportionate military offensive is not security! The real goal is not to neutralise an existential terrorist threat, for there isn't one! On the contrary, the real goal of state terror is always political! The real goal is to eliminate resistance to Indonesian rule by massively inflating the cost. The real goal is to crush spiritually and intimidate into silence all indigenous, predominantly Christian Papuans who have ever so much as dreamt of Papuan freedom!

Arrested: Victor Yeimo in handcuffs, 9 May 2021

On Sunday 9 May Indonesian police arrested Victor Yeimo (38, one of the most prominent leaders inside Papua) in Papua's provincial capital, Jayapura. The Indonesian government is accusing Yeimo of treason, which, as UK-based Wenda explains, is ridiculous. 'He is accused of "masterminding" the 2019 West Papua Uprising, which was started by Indonesian racism and violence [RLM (27 Aug 2019)] and ended in a bloodbath caused by Indonesian troops' [RLPB 521 (24 Sept 2019)]. But as People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker, Bambang Soesatyo, so shamelessly explained at the outset, the real goal is to 'destroy them first' and 'discuss human rights matters later'. 

For an expanded version of this RLPB, see Religious Liberty Monitoring:
Papua (Indonesia): This is What State Terror Looks Like,
By Elizabeth Kendal, 12 May 2021.

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR ALMIGHTY GOD WILL

* consider the labours of his faithful servants and the blood that was spilt while planting the seed of the Gospel in Papua; Lord in your mercy, intervene to bring about a just resolution to the humanitarian and human rights crisis engulfing the Papuan Provinces.

'Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.' (Isaiah 40:10 ESV)

* protect those faithful labourers who continue to serve the Lord and his Church in the Papuan Provinces today; we especially pray for Indonesian and ex-patriate Christian missionaries who may well be especially vulnerable at this time. Father, protect them from those misunderstandings that tend to arise in the 'fog of war'; protect them as well from wartime lies and propaganda mischievously disseminated to cause division and inflict harm. Lord in your mercy, pour out an abundance of clarity, discernment, and grace! We pray especially for the work of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), whose planes and pilots will be greatly imperilled yet greatly needed: Lord in your mercy, please protect them.

* redeem these trials to draw Papuans ever closer to himself; may Papuan men, women and children look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of their faith (from Hebrews 12:1,2) and 'see the salvation of the Lord' which he will surely work for those who trust him (from Exodus 14:13,14).

* turn the hearts of many nations towards the indigenous, ethnic Melanesian, predominantly Christian Papuans, who are in many cases their co-religionists and in some cases the legacy of their own missionaries. Lord in your mercy, shatter the silence that covers Papua like a shroud and shields evil-doers from accountability. God of justice and righteousness, we ask that Jakarta would be forced to change its ways, for the sake of your precious Papuan Church.

Prayer points developed from:
RLPB 519, How Will the Story End? (10 Sep 2019).

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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'SATAN'S FORCES' ENTER A DARKENED PAPUA

On 25 April armed rebels in Papua's Puncak Regency shot and killed a leading Indonesian Intelligence official. Indonesian President Joko Widodo immediately called for retaliation and had Papuan armed criminal groups (KKB) designated 'terrorists', a label used to justify extreme measures. Among the hundreds of extra troops being deployed to Papua, is the 400-strong elite Infantry 315/Garuda Battalion which earned its nickname 'Satan's Forces' while fighting in East Timor. Yet according to the Indonesian military's own estimate, Papuan KKB only possess around 200 firearms. Clearly, eliminating 'terrorists' is not the main goal. Internet and telecommunication services have been disrupted and the region's indigenous, predominately Christian Papuans are fleeing into the jungle and bracing yet again for a new wave of state terror designed to silence dissent and crush hope. Please pray.

-------------------------------------------

Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Advocacy at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

RLPB 595. April 2021 Update. Inc. Ramadan, China, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iran, Papua (Indonesia), Saudi Arabia, Somaliland

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 595 | Wed 28 Apr 2021
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and encourage others to sign up to “Follow by email” on the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) blog. ‘For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds’ (2 Corinthians 10:4 ESV). 

DIARY
Ramadan (Muslim month of fasting): 12/13 April to 12 May.
Orthodox Easter: Friday 30 April to Sunday 2 May.

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APRIL 2021 UPDATE
By Elizabeth Kendal

DURING THIS PERIOD, WE PRAYED CONCERNING:

* RAMADAN [RLPB 592 (7 April)], and the elevated threat that Ramadan brings to some of the world's most vulnerable Christian communities. We prayed specifically for the Church in Iraq, against which Islamic State (IS) has issued a direct threat. We also prayed concerning Syria, where analysts anticipate IS will attempt a Ramadan offensive and Armenia, where observers believe a new war is imminent as belligerent, Turkey-backed Azerbaijan demands a 'Zangezur Corridor' through southern Armenia.

RAMADAN UPDATE: ORTHODOX EASTER THIS WEEKEND

This weekend, Ramadan will coincide with Orthodox Easter compounding, the risk of Islamic terrorism and/or Muslim communal violence against vulnerable Orthodox Christian churches and communities. Countries where Christians will be at risk most significantly this Orthodox Easter include Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Ethiopia, as well as aggressively anti-Armenian Azerbaijan and neo-Ottoman Turkey. Please pray.

* CHINA [RLPB 593 (13 April)], where Christians are increasingly being 'disappeared' into 'mobile transformation facilities' - also known as 'Residential Surveillance at a Designation Location' - where they are mistreated until they 'break' and renounce their faith. We prayed especially for Elder Zhang Chunlei of the long-persecuted Ren'ai [Love] Reformed Church in Guiyang, who has been arrested and placed in criminal detention as a 'fraud suspect'; for Pastor Wang Yi of the long-persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, who was sentenced in December 2018 to nine years in prison; and for long-persecuted lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, who has been 'disappeared' for more than three years. Please continue to pray.

* TURKEY [RLPB 594 (20 April)], where Father Sefer Bilecen (known as Father Aho) - the Assyrian caretaker-priest at Mor Yakub Monastery in Tur Abdin region, Mardin Province - has been jailed for 25 months charged with 'aiding and abetting a terrorist organisation'. His crime was to give food to two armed militants who came to the monastery asking for food. We also prayed for a resolution on the fate of Mr Hurmuz Diril, an Assyrian Christian abducted from neighbouring Sirnac Province in March 2020. Please pray for the Church in Turkey.

UPDATE: Al-Monitor has released a short two minute but excellent video on the sentencing of Father Aho, which highlights how and why Turkey's Assyrian population has declined so markedly in recent years. Excerpt: 'At one point in the 1980s, the Assyrian population in Turkey was around 70,000. Today however, that number is closer is 20,000 with less than 3,000 in Tur Abdin [region, where Mor Yakub monastery is located]. Many of these families continue to feel pressure to leave ...' Note: Dotted with Christian monasteries, 'Tur Abdin' is Aramaic for 'the mountain of the servants of God'.

APRIL 2021 ROUND-UP - also this month:

* AZERBAIJAN: ESCALATING REPRESSION

According to Forum 18, a bill proposing amendments to Azerbaijan's already highly restrictive Religion Law was due to have its first reading in parliament on 23 April. If passed, the amendments will make it even more difficult for non-Islamic religious communities to function legally. It is already the case that, before a local religious group can be registered (legalised), it must have 50 adult citizens as founding members. An amendment would require that all 50 adult citizens reside in the one administrative district. Furthermore, before a religious group can register a 'religious centre' (i.e., headquarters), the group must have at least five registered communities, located in at least five different towns. Once registered, a 'religious centre' may only operate one religious school. Critically, a State Committee would acquire a veto over non-Islamic religious communities' appointments of leaders. While these and other amendments would cause considerable problems for all Christian communities, they would be catastrophic for small Jewish and Protestant fellowships. Please pray.

* EGYPT: IS-SINAI EXECUTES COPTIC CHRISTIAN
-- another Islamic State message signed in blood

Nabil Habashy Salama

On 18 April, Islamic State Sinai Province uploaded a 13-minute video to social media showing the execution of Christian Copt, Nabil Habashy Salama (62). A hardworking, popular and successful businessman, Mr Salama had built the only church in his hometown of Bir al-Abd, in the northern Sinai region. Militants snatched Mr Salama off the street on the early evening of 8 November 2020 [RLPB 577 (25 Nov 2020)]. Initially the terrorists demanded payment of two million Egyptian Pounds (approx. US$127,550) as jizya (protection money) for Bir al-Abd’s Copts. They later increased the jizya to five million Egyptian Pounds (approx. US$321,000). Unable to raise the funds and after numerous death threats, the family accepted advice from security officials and fled the Sinai. 

In the video, Mr Salama introduces himself and 'confesses' to having built a church which supported the Egyptian military. He is then shown kneeling and bound before three armed terrorists. Speaking into the camera, the terrorist spokesman sends a message to Egypt's Christians: 'We thank the great Allah who ordered his followers to kill, and the kafirs [apostates/infidels] to be subjugated until they pay the jizya [protection money] while down on their knees [see https://quran.com/9/29 ]. This is a message to Crusaders in every spot on earth: as you fight you will be fought, and as you capture you will be captured. As for you, Egypt's Nassaara [a derogatory word for 'Christian', meaning those who follow the Nazarene (i.e., Jesus of Nazareth)], this is your reward for supporting the Egyptian army.' He then shoots Mr Salama through the head at close range. In its statement, in which it claimed responsibility, IS-Sinai confirmed, 'He kept the faith till the moment he was killed.'

Watching the footage, Mr Salama's son Peter was distressed to see that father's teeth were broken, indicating he had been tortured. Peter's sister, Marina, told Egypt's Watani News that, following the initial shock and grief, she felt proud of her father. 'He lived and died a great man,' she said. 'He is now in a better place, with Jesus whom he loved and served.' Please pray.

* ETHIOPIA: CHRISTIANS MASSACRED; RISK OF WAR GROWS.

On Tuesday evening 30 March at least 28 ethnic-Amhara Orthodox Christians were killed and some 12 wounded when gunmen from the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) Shane faction attacked Babo Gambela district, West Wollega Zone, in western Oromia Region. A report from Amhara Mass Media Agency put the death toll at over 40. It is the latest in a string of massacres of ethnic Amhara Christians by OLF-Shane militants in western Oromia Region.

Then, on 16 April, deadly violence erupted in southern Amhara Region's North Shoa Zone after OLF-Shane attacked Ataye town (although OLF-Shane denies involvement). The militants rampaged, killing and wounding residents, releasing prisoners from jail, burning houses and torching a church. When Amhara's security forces killed a Oromo shopkeeper and administrator from neighbouring Oromo Special Zone (an area in Amhara Region classed as 'special' because its residents are majority ethnic Oromo), all hell broke loose. Over the next four days armed Oromo civilians engaged in battle with Amhara security forces. As violence spread and numerous other towns came under attack, the Ethiopian Defence Forces and Federal Police forces were simply overwhelmed. By 25 April, authorities were putting the death toll at around 200. Some 250,000 people have been displaced across North Shoa Zone and up to 25 percent of all homes have been burned. Addis Ababa has declared a state of emergency in southern Amhara Region.

Tadesse Gerbretsadik, the head of North Shoa administration, said the OLF-Shane militants were well organised and well armed. Anger is rising against Prime Minister Abiy, who is blamed for failing to end the attacks. But in reality, a complex alliance of local and international enemies - the Egyptian government, the Sudanese military, the Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Front - are co-ordinating and working together to break up Ethiopia; something that would trigger a Christian crisis of monumental proportions! Please pray.

* HAITI: CRIMINALS TARGET THE CHURCH

Mired in poverty, crippled by corruption, thoroughly infested with voodoo, hopelessly dysfunctional and increasingly lawless, Haiti is a nation in crisis. Recently, kidnapping for ransom has grown to be a major industry, causing the Catholic Church to lament the situation as 'a descent into hell'. Previously, kidnap victims were nearly always doctors or wealthy business people. But that changed in April when churches were targeted in two mass kidnappings. On 1 April four members of the Seventh-day Adventist Gospel Kreyòl Ministry Church in Diquini, Carrefour, on the southern outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, were abducted during a Maundy Thursday service being broadcast live on Facebook. The church's pastor, pianist and two technicians were held as hostages until Easter Sunday (4 April), when they were released upon payment of ransom. Then, on Sunday 11 April, 10 Catholics - five priests, two nuns, and three laypeople - were abducted at Croix-des-Bouquets, on the eastern outskirts of Port-au-Prince, while en route to attend the installation of a parish priest. Two of those abducted - one priest and one nun - are French citizens. The kidnappers have demanded a $1m ransom. Three of the seven clergy were released on 23 April, leaving seven Catholics in captivity. Please pray.

* IRAN: MORE CONVERTS ARRESTED; HOPES FOR RETRIAL

(1) MORE CONVERTS ARRESTED

On 19 April Iranian intelligence agents arrested four Christian converts in the south-western city of Dezful: Hojjat Lotfi Khalaf, Esmaeil Narimanpour, Alireza Varak-Shah, and Mohammad (Davoud) Ali Torabi. The following day a number of other Iranian converts were summoned for interrogation. On 21 April Hojiat, Esmaeil, Alireza and Mohammad (Davoud) were released because of the COVID pandemic. Esmaeil had been beaten during detention. All must remain available for questioning. This is not Davoud's first arrest. He spent a month in jail in 2017, before being released on bail, at which time he was also forced to sign a blank document. There are concerns that Davoud's signature could have been attached to a 'confession' or a renunciation of faith that could complicate his situation today. Between 10 and 15 other converts were summoned for questioning between 19 and 22 April in connection with the arrests of the four men. Please pray.

Top:  Homayoun and Sara
Below: Sam and Maryam with Lydia 

(2) HOPES FOR RETRIAL

Iran's Supreme Court is considering two retrial petitions. One relates to the prison sentences given to Homayoun Zhaveh (62, with advanced Parkinson's disease) and his wife Sara Ahmadi (43), for belonging to a house-church [see RLPB 591 (31 March)]. The other relates to a court's decision to remove special-needs child Lydia (2) from her adoptive parents, Sam Khosravi and Maryam Falahi, because they are Christian converts and Lydia is considered Muslim [see RLPB 584 (10 Feb)]. Hossein Ahmadiniaz, an Iranian human rights lawyer now based in Europe, explained to Article18 that, because these cases are considered 'security' cases, they are overseen by the Ministry of Intelligence. This, he notes, 'undermines the principle of judicial independence and undermines a fair and just trial.' He adds: 'However, if the judges act with honour, there is still the possibility they may accept the retrials and overturn the verdicts.' Please pray.

* PAPUA (INDONESIA): MILITARY CRACKDOWN LOOMS

As noted in RLPB 578 'Update on the Papuan Provinces' (2 Dec 2020), 'The situation in Indonesia's Papuan Provinces is coming to a head; tensions are soaring; a clash is looming; a Christian crisis may be imminent.' Since then, Papuan militants have further escalated their attacks on Indonesian interests. On Sunday 25 April a small detachment of Indonesian security personnel was patrolling a crime scene in the Central Highlands Puncak Regency when it was ambushed by Papuan rebels. A firefight ensued and Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) provincial intelligence chief Brig. Gen. I Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha was shot dead in what appears to have been a planned assassination. The long-persecuted, mostly Christian, indigenous Papuans of Papua's Central Highlands are now bracing themselves for yet another massive military crackdown. Please pray.

* SAUDI ARABIA: CONVERT TO FACE COURT

On Thursday 22 April an Arab convert - whom Middle East Concern (MEC) identifies only as 'A' - faced court in Saudi Arabia. Several years ago, A's sister suffered abuse from her husband's family after they discovered she had become a Christian. After A helped her flee the country with her children, the family charged A with stealing money and threatened violence against his wife and children. While A has been dealing with charges of apostasy and spreading Christianity for years now, the theft case was due to be heard on 22 April. If found guilty, A would have ended up in a Saudi prison. MEC rallied supporters to prayer. During the trial, a dispute arose between the judge and the two lawyers representing the accuser and then between the two lawyers themselves. Frustrated and furious, the judge concluded (rightly) there was no evidence against A and acquitted him. MEC reports: 'This answer to prayer was a great encouragement, not only to A, his wife and children, but also to the wider convert community in their city.' Note: God answers prayer and there are convert communities inside Saudi Arabia! MEC reports: 'A. still faces two other court cases. He is accused of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity and of helping his sister leave the country against the wishes of her husband and the wider family. In the past few years A. has faced several prison sentences and flogging due to his faith and his assistance to his sister.' Please pray.

* SOMALILAND: CONVERTS TO FACE COURT

Officially part of Somalia, Somaliland is a self-declared independent state on the Gulf of Aden. A former British protectorate, Somaliland is routinely praised as a beacon of democracy. That may be so, but its constitution is profoundly Islamic and Islamic conservatism has been rising for years. On 4 April, six converts - four of whom were arrested in January and two in February - were charged with offences against the state religion (Islam) and inciting others to disobey laws relating to public order. Among them were Mohamed and Hamdi, a young couple arrested with their new-born baby. On 14 April three of the believers - two women (one from Somalia and one from Ethiopia) and an Ethiopian man - were released and deported. However, Mohamed, Hamdi and one other Christian, were additionally charged with apostasy and spreading Christianity. Their trial was to resume on Tuesday 27 April. Please pray.

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There is simply more persecution than the RLPB can cover, much of which is continuous. Consequently, RLPB endeavours to prioritise unreported or little-known persecutions, along with new trends, pivotal events, and looming or unfolding crises.

FOR INFORMATION ON
* the continuous stream of killings and abductions of Christians in Nigeria;
* the endless accusations of blasphemy against poor Christians in Pakistan;
* the non-stop systematic violent and legal persecution of poor Christians in India;
* the horrors increasingly facing Christian minorities in Uganda's impoverished and majority-Muslim Eastern Region
-- (none of which have been covered in this RLPB) -- please visit, sign up to (free) and support the various Christian news and aid organisations that specialise in providing news on the persecuted Church.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Advocacy at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

RLPB 573. October Update, incl. Artsakh, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, Papua (Indonesia), Sudan.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 573 | Wed 28 Oct 2020
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and encourage others to sign up to “Follow by email” on the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) blog.  ‘For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds’ (2 Corinthians 1:4 ESV). 

OCTOBER 2020 UPDATE
By Elizabeth Kendal

OCTOBER 2020 UPDATE - during this period we prayed concerning

* TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN, ARTSAKH AND THE ARMENIANS [RLPB 570 (7 Oct)], where neo-Ottoman Turkey and its jihadist proxies are backing Azerbaijan in a war to seize control of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Long a province of Armenia, Artsakh has been inhabited by Armenians for some 4000 years. In 1923, Joseph Stalin mischievously and fatefully made Orthodox Armenian Artsakh an autonomous region (or oblast) of the Turkic Muslim Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, setting the stage for today's conflict. Inexplicably, the UN dismisses as irrelevant the expressed will and rights of the residents (the right to self-determination), while accepting as inviolable the dictate of Joseph Stalin.

UPDATE: In 1918, the Ottoman Minister of War, Enver Pasha, ordered the formation of the 'Islamic Army of the Caucasus' that would drive out the Armenians and establish a pan-Turkic empire extending from Anatolia to the oil fields of Baku. Numerous massacres later, the Turks were ultimately driven out by Russian Bolshevik forces. Today, the Turkish dream is being revived by the neo-Ottomans of President Erdogan's AK Party.

On 8 October shells struck Shushi's Ghazanchetsots (Holy Saviour) Cathedral [drone footage]. Consecrated in 1888 (30 years before Azerbaijan even existed as a nation), the fully renovated church is both historic and symbolic. Women and children were sheltering there at the time; fortunately there were no casualties. Hours later, however, more shells hit the cathedral, this time wounding two Russian journalists, one critically. [For images, and video of Armenian-born cellist Sevak Avanesyan performing a lament amidst the rubble, click here: ClassicFM.] 

Of course, the destruction of property, even of historic and symbolic architecture, is nothing compared to the loss of human life; many hundreds of Armenian sons, brothers and fathers are today dying defending their homeland from Azeri, Turkish and jihadist aggression. Doctors from the Armenian diaspora have arrived in Stepanakert to treat the wounded. They report dealing with horrendous injuries believed to be from exploding cluster bombs. Multiple ceasefires have been brokered and broken. Since failing to take Artsakh in a blitzkrieg, Azeri-Turkish-jihadi forces have swept across the south of Artsakh, through the lowlands close to the Iranian border. A pivotal battle looms for control of the Lachin Corridor, a strategic mountain pass through which the sole highway linking Armenia to Artsakh passes.

Please pray for peace in the South Caucasus, and that Armenians' plea for and right to self-determination might be heard and respected before the Turks enact another genocide of Armenians. 

* IRAN [RLPB 571 (14 Oct)], where the cost of discipleship is high indeed. Not only are Christians harassed, intimidated, threatened and imprisoned, but a court has ruled that a Christian couple be denied parental rights over their adopted daughter, Lydia (adopted legally as an abandoned infant), deeming them 'not fit' to raise her. The ruling has shattered converts Sam and Maryam and will traumatise Lydia (2). It will also cast terror into the hearts of all adoptive Christian parents and deep sadness into the hearts of every infertile Christian couple. Please continue to pray that Iranians will be enraged by this ruling and that it might be overturned or at least never enacted.

* IVORY COAST [RLPB 572 (21 Oct)], where political violence - which plays out along ethnic and religious lines - is escalating ahead of the profoundly controversial and potentially explosive 31 October presidential election. The election crisis of Nov 2010-April 2011 pitted Islamic militias from the north (backed by France) against the Ivorian Military and police. After his inauguration, Ouattara rewarded the militias by incorporating them into the military and police. This raises the stakes considerably! Please pray.

OCTOBER 2020 ROUND-UP - also this month

* CYPRUS: GREEK CYPRIOTS FACING NEO-OTTOMAN STORM

click on map to enlarge

UPDATE to RLPB 560 (29 July) which reported that neo-Ottoman Turkey is upgrading its military forces and building up its troops in Turkey-occupied northern Cyprus, raising alarm among Greek Cypriots.

On 1-2 October, the European Union opted not to sanction Turkey for its belligerent behaviour in the Eastern Mediterranean. A week later, on 8 October, Turkey's President Erdogan announced that the once-prized and internationally acclaimed Cypriot beach resort of Varosha in Famagusta - on the Turkey-occupied side of the 'Attila Line' and cordoned off since the Turkish invasion in 1974 - be reopened and re-inhabited under Turkish Administration. On 18 October a heavily-influenced presidential election in Turkey-occupied northern Cyprus culminated in a transfer of power from the pro-unification, anti-Erdogan moderate, Mustafa Akinci to the Turkey-backed, pro-two-states, pro-Erdogan, neo-Ottoman hardliner Ersin Tatar. The status quo is over!

Please pray for all Christian leaders on Cyprus - political, civic and religious; may they have wisdom and insight (Ephesians 1:17) to navigate the challenging days ahead. May God protect and preserve his Church along with all the Christian ministries that serve the Lord in freedom in Greek Cypriot-ruled Cyprus (e.g. Nicosia-based Sat-7).

'For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.' (Ephesians 6:12 ESV).

* ETHIOPIA: DESTABILISATION WOULD BENEFIT ISLAM AT THE EXPENSE OF CHRISTIANS 

UPDATE to RLPB 560 (29 July). A battle is raging for the future of Ethiopia, an empire that has expanded over the centuries to absorb many diverse peoples [44 percent Orthodox, 19 percent Protestant (including many recent converts from Islam), 0.7 percent Catholic and 34 percent Muslim]. It is a battle that pits Prime Minister Abiy's vision of a strong united Ethiopia against that of ethnic nationalists (who would tear Ethiopia apart) and Islamists (who have their own agenda). Foreign forces also play a part; in particular, Egypt, which is known to back the Oromo Liberation Front (OML).

Egypt - which has long cried 'The Nile is my own' (Ezekiel 29) - is falsely claiming that Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will destroy Egyptian agriculture. In truth, the GERD will regulate - not stop - the waters of the Blue Nile. It will prevent flooding in Sudan, generate affordable electricity for sale to the whole region and lift millions of Ethiopians out of poverty. If Egypt were genuinely concerned, then it could tap into its vast reserves of underground water, just as Gaddafi did in Libya (see RLPB 560). That the White House is taking Egypt's side in the GERD dispute is 'reckless and uninformed', a betrayal of Ethiopia and definitely contrary to US and Christian interests. The destabilisation of Ethiopia would benefit Islam, be catastrophic for Ethiopia's Christian ethnic Amhara and put an end to the dream of a strong, prosperous and free Ethiopia. Please pray.

* MALI: NEGOTIATING WITH JIHADISTS

BACKGROUND: In December 2018, al-Qaeda's branch in Mali and West Africa, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM, or the 'Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims') released a video explaining that they would no longer release regular videos providing proof-of-life and demanding ransom for their captives. With that, the Malian desert went dark! [RLPB 487 (29 Jan 2019)]. Over the years, jihadist activity has escalated and advanced. Frustration over corruption and a decade of unsuccessful counterinsurgency culminated in a military coup in August 2020. Since his appointment on 27 September, Mali's interim Prime Minister Moctar Ouane (65, a civilian) has been eager to negotiate with the jihadists, despite opposition from former colonial power France.

UPDATE ON CAPTIVES: On 8 October 2020 JNIM released French missionary Sophie Petronin (75, abducted from Gao, northern Mali, in December 2016) along with two Italian aid workers and a Malian politician in exchange for 180 imprisoned jihadists. Petronin maintains she has converted to Islam. While this may or may not be true, it doubtless explains her release. Just a month earlier, JNIM executed Swiss missionary Beatrice Stockly (75, abducted from Timbuktu, northern Mali, in January 2016). Petronin reports that fellow-captive Sister Gloria Navarez (a Columbian nun abducted from Karangasso, southern Mali, in February 2017) is 'alive but needs care'. There is no word on Australian surgeon Dr Ken Elliot (86, abducted from Djibo in Burkina Faso's far north, in January 2016) whose skills as a doctor doubtless render him indispensable. Neither is there any word on American missionary Jeff Woodke (59, abducted from Abalak, northern Niger, in October 2016). Please pray for Dr Ken Elliott, Jeff Woodke and Sister Gloria Navarez; may God's grace sustain them; may Christ's love shine through them; and may the Spirit intervene for them to bring them liberty.

* MOZAMBIQUE: JIHAD TRIGGERS HUMANITIARIAN CRISIS

UPDATE to RLPB 564 (26 Aug). On 11 August well-trained jihadists armed with sophisticated weapons attacked Mocimboa da Praia in Mozambique's northern-most province of Cabo Delgado. The military fled, leaving Islamic State affiliate Al-Sunna wa Jama'a (ASWJ) in control of the strategic port city. Two months later, the military remains paralysed and ASWJ remains in control.

Bishop Luiz Fernando Lisboa of Pemba told Aid to the Church in Need that the parishes in Pemba Diocese have received more than 250,000 displaced people (mostly Muslims), many of whom fled with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. The diocese is training priests, sisters and lay pastoral workers in trauma counselling, creating support groups in parishes and implementing new pastoral strategies to address the ongoing crisis in Cabo Delgado. Neville Kyrke-Smith, national director of Aid to the Church in Need (UK), comments, 'In caring for displaced families we are helping to offer the love of Christ to those in such need.' These churches will rely on donations and need to be sustained by prayer. May the Lord redeem this suffering for the glory of his kingdom. Please pray.

* PAKISTAN: NO GIRL IS SAFE

UPDATE to RLPBs 564 (26 Aug) and 569 (30 Sep). Having escaped from her Muslim captor, Maira Shahbaz (14) remains in hiding along with her mother and siblings. With the family receiving death threats, Catholic Charity Aid to the Church in Need (UK) is appealing to the British government to grant the family asylum in the UK. Please pray.

Arzoo's parents with her picture. 
photo: Fahim Siddiai/White Star, DAWN 24 Oct 2020
 

Meanwhile, a Catholic teenager has since been abducted in Karachi. Arzoo Raja (13) was kidnapped on 13 October, converted to Islam and forcibly married to her Muslim abductor, Azhar Ali, who is known to the family and 'at least 45'. Before he abducted her, Azhar Ali (whose brothers are police) had fake papers produced stating that Arzoo was 18, which would make her conversion and marriage legal. On 24 October Christians, Hindus and Muslims rallied together outside the Karachi Press Club in a protest led by the 'National Peace Committee Interfaith Harmony'. They called for Arzoo to be returned to her family and for an end to what is nothing other than human trafficking across religious lines. Prominent Muslim attorney, Ms Noor Naz Agha is taking up the case. Please pray.

* PAPUA (INDONESIA): INVESTIGATION INTO KILLING OF PASTOR YEREMIA ZANAMBANI

UPDATE to RLPB 569 (30 Sep). After a 14-day investigation, an Indonesian government-sanctioned joint fact-finding team has reported that it found indications that security forces were involved in the killing of Papuan pastor Yeremia Zanambani, who was shot dead in Intan Jaya Regency, Papua Province, on 19 September. It is now up to law enforcement agencies to investigate the findings. According to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) - which was not part of the government team - the killing of Reverend Zanambani is not a stand-alone incident, but rather one of a series of violent incidents involving at least 18 other cases. Please pray for the indigenous Melanesian Christians of Indonesia's Papuan Provinces; may persecution and impunity come to an end.

* SUDAN: REVOLUTION ON BRINK OF COLLAPSE

UPDATE to RLPB 569 (30 Sep): A Plea for Sudan.

Last week, under immense pressure from the US government, Sudan's transitional government agreed to pay compensation for terrorism committed by the now-ousted regime and normalise relations with Israel. Courageous, reformist Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok had pleaded with the US not to link sanctions relief to recognition of Israel, for not only is Sudan exceedingly fragile and volatile, but as an un-elected body, the transitional government does not have a mandate to change foreign policy.

As soon as the deal was struck, support for the transitional government started unravelling. Sudan's Popular Congress Party (PCP), the second most prominent component of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) political coalition, rejected the deal, as did several other members of the FFC. Former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, who leads Sudan's largest political party (the National Umma Party) rejected the deal, as did Kamal Omar, a PCP leader, who slammed the transitional government for overstepping its mandate. A coalition is now being formed to oppose the transitional government. Protesters have taken to the streets of Khartoum, burning Israeli flags and chanting 'no peace, no negotiation, no reconciliation with the occupying entity' and 'we will not surrender, we will always stand with Palestine'. Sudan's military leader, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan - Chairman of the Sovereignty Council - and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeti) both insist that Sudan stands to gain much by normalising ties with Israel. That is certainly true. But if Sudan descends into chaos, the only ones to gain will be the military and the Islamists. Sudan's revolution is on the brink of collapse. Please pray.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Advocacy at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com