CONFLICT IN ETHIOPIA THREATENS REGIONAL STABILITY
Tigray President Debretsion Gebremichael has confirmed his forces’ bombing of the Eritrean city of Asmara, as the conflict in the northern region of Ethiopia continues to escalate. While he did not say how many missiles were fired, he did say his troops were fighting both Eritrean and Ethiopian forces on “several fronts” along the Ethiopian…
RUSSIA TO ‘ASSIST’ ARMENIA IF CONFLICT WITH AZERBAIJAN SPREADS BEYOND NAGORNO-KARABAKH
Russia is prepared to provide “all necessary assistance” to its treaty partner Armenia if violence moves into Armenian territory, as fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh enters its sixth week. If Russia were to enter the conflict, there is a possibility that it could prolong the current clash. On Saturday 31 October, both Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each…
21 OCTOBER ’20 | PRAY FOR PAKISTAN
Dear prayer partners, On Friday 16 October, thousands of protesters gathered in the central Pakistan city of Gujranwala in an anti-government demonstration. The protest was organised by a new alliance of 11 opposition political parties that declared that this was the “beginning of the end” for Prime Minister Imran Khan. Three-time former prime minister, Nawaz…
ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN CLASH OVER DISPUTED NAGORNO-KARABAKH REGION
By Alex Pollock Fighting has erupted once more between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet Union republics in the Caucasus region. At the heart of the decades-old conflict is the Nagorno-Karabakh region. It is recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but it is controlled by ethnic Armenians. The countries fought a bloody war over the region…
30 SEPTEMBER ’20 | PRAY FOR AZERBAIJAN & ARMENIA
Dear prayer partners, On Sunday 27 September, ongoing tensions led to open conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The heavy clashes stoked fears that the dispute could spiral once again into a war. Armenia declared martial law and ordered its military to mobilise and Azerbaijan followed suit by also ordering the…
ETHIOPIA’S ESCALATING REGIONAL POLITICAL CRISIS
By Alex Pollock The feud between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the ruling party in the strategically important Tigray region is escalating, raising fears of military confrontation and the break-up of Africa’s second-most-populous nation. The tensions revolve around the regional government’s decision to press ahead with organising its own election for the Tigray parliament…
AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN AT ODDS OVER BORDER CLASH
At least 15 Afghan civilians were killed, and 80 more injured, when Pakistan forces fired heavy artillery across the border on 30 July, in one of the most intense clashes between the two countries in recent years. The clash was preceded by protests on both sides of the border after Pakistan closed the border in…
HOSTILITIES ESCALATE BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA
One of the world’s longest-running territorial disputes in the Caucasus Mountains was reignited after 20 people died on 12 July in fighting on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It was not immediately clear what caused the violence, but both countries accused each other of reigniting the hostilities. Located between the Black and Caspian Seas,…
27 MAY ’20 | PRAY FOR SOUTH SUDAN
Dear prayer partners, On Friday 22 May, the UN human rights chief insisted that intercommunal violence in South Sudan had to stop and those responsible had to be swiftly brought to justice. This announcement came after a review report of the first three months of 2020, revealed that about 658 people were killed in intercommunal…