“It is from the Lord that one gets justice.”
[Feb.24.2022] In western Africa, Burkina Faso’s military leader Paul-Henri Damiba was sworn in as president. He declared that “we will win the battle against Islamic extremist insurgency that has plagued this country for years.”
According to the American Christian Post (CP), Damiba is a former front-line commander in the fight against Islamic jihadists. He said he would reorganize the armed forces to strengthen the link between the intelligence service and field operations, at his presidential speech on the 16th of February(local time).
“To gain the upper hand over the enemy, it is necessary to rise up and convince ourselves that as a nation we have more than what it takes to win this war,” said Damiba.
He opened his speech at Wednesday’s ceremony with a moment of silence for the civilians and soldiers killed in the fight against Islam terrorists.
Burkina Faso, once relatively peaceful, has seen an exponential increase in Islamic terrorism since 2015, killing more than 2,000 and displacing 1.5 million refugees. Since 2016, as the number of Islamic State (IS) fighters fleeing from the Middle East to Africa has increased, extremism has surged in the Sahel and other regions of Africa.
The United Nations also pointed out that “internal movement in Burkina Faso, a former French colony, has increased by 50%,” and that “this is the highest rate of internal movement on the continent.”
Damiba also said he would work with the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) to help the country return to democratic elections.
After a coup last month, ECOWAS suspended Burkina Faso from its governing body.
Meanwhile, Christians, who make up more than 20% of Burkina Faso’s population, are also being attacked by Islamic extremism.
According to a report on “Persecution Trends in 2022” released by Release International, churches were closed and the gatherings were held in secret last year as jihad broke out against Christians in the north of Burkina Faso. The report warned that “terrorism ranges from bombing, killings, kidnappings and setting fires to schools, to attacks on religious leaders and places of worship.”(Source: The Daily Good News).
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.(Proverbs 29:25-26)
God, let the newly inaugurated President Paul Henri Damiba of Burkina Faso know that the decrees of man come from You. May the president and rulers humbly rely on you, and may You give them wisdom and strength so that the war against extremism does not pose another threat to the people. Lord, pray that the terrorism stop in Burkina Faso, and may the people and persecuted believers live safely.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
