Religious Liberty Prayer List – No. 168 – Wed 15 May 2002

———————————————– SOUTHERN SUDAN, UGANDA AND THE CURSE OF THE LRA ———————————————–

This RLP differs slightly in not addressing a religious liberty issue in a particular nation, but examines instead how the Church in Southern Sudan and Uganda is suffering at the hands of the blasphemous, terrorist cult-militia: the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

The LRA receives much of its support from another Ugandan rebel group, the Holy Spirit force established by the Catholic heretic and self-proclaimed prophetess, Alice Lakwena. She is known to have anointed her child soldiers with Mooyaa (shea butter), telling them it made them bulletproof, before she pushed them into frontline guerrilla warfare. When Yoweri Museveni (a Christian) became President of Uganda in 1986, the Holy Spirit militia and the LRA fought his government. The Holy Spirit militia was defeated in 1991 but Alice Lakwena and many of her followers settled as refugees in Kenya, from where they support the LRA.

In 1991 the LRA agreed with the National Islamic Front / Government of Sudan (NIF / GoS) to support its jihad against the predominantly Christian Southern Sudanese in exchange for the NIF / GoS training and arming the LRA. The LRA army is mostly kidnapped Ugandan children, with at least 12,000 having been taken by LRA rebels since 1986. Many people, including Christians with groups such as World Vision, are working with rescued or escaped child soldiers.

The GoS has recently stopped supporting the LRA in exchange for Uganda withdrawing support for the SPLA (the South Sudanese militia). In mid March, the GoS gave the Ugandan Army permission to pursue the LRA on Sudanese soil with the main aim of catching the LRA leader, Joseph Kony. By mid April the LRA was ‘cornered’ in the Ngong Hills north of the Uganda border.

However in the three weeks to 7 May, over 300 civilians were killed by the retreating LRA, including about 60 people massacred at a funeral on 26 April in the nearby Agoro hills. On 8 May the LRA raided three villages in Magwi county, Eastern Equatorial Southern Sudan. Local priest, Leon Buga, said, ‘The men and boys were all brutally killed publicly whereas young girls between the ages of 5 and 16 were defiled before their parents.’ The girls were abducted after being raped. (We have spared readers some of the horrific details that denote the demonic nature of these atrocities.)

The Catholic Church in Southern Sudan has appealed desperately to the international community after the LRA slaughtered more than 470 civilians in a violent rampage on 12 May. This took place in several villages along the Imotong mountain range in the Eastern Equatorial Southern Sudan. Another 500 people have fled their homes and are now scattered and vulnerable in the bush. As the LRA was pursued from the area by the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces, they torched another six villages which had just started cultivating their crops. Bishop Akio Johnson Mutek of the Torit diocese implores us to please ‘come to the aid of these destitute people’.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR

* God’s compassion and justice to prevail. Isaiah 30:18

* spiritual wisdom and insight, and strength of conviction for Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni (described as ‘a God-fearing man’), as he seeks to liberate the people totally from the curse of the blasphemous, terrorist, LRA cult-militia.

* God to bring judgement on these militias who blaspheme most appallingly by equating his name with murder and terror.

* much wisdom, patience, love and grace for those working with freed child soldiers and for healing for the children. “If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

* wisdom and strength for all Ugandan and Sudanese pastors in counselling traumatised victims, grieving relatives, and the terrorised populace.

SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE: ——————————————————————- SOUTHERN SUDAN, UGANDA AND THE CURSE OF THE LRA

Since 1986, the blasphemous, terrorist, Ugandan cult-militia called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has fought against the Ugandan government. In 1991 the LRA agreed with the Islamic Government of Sudan (GoS) to support the jihad in Southern Sudan in exchange for the training and arming of the LRA soldiers, who are mostly kidnapped Ugandan children. However in a recent political deal, the GoS has withdrawn its support for the LRA and in mid March, gave the Ugandan Army permission to pursue the LRA on Sudanese soil. The LRA are retreating from the offensive Uganda has launched, but as they flee they are terrorising and murdering hundreds of Southern Sudanese civilians. The South Sudanese Church has called desperately for help.

—————————————————- Please pass this along to others with attribution to World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Religious Liberty Prayer List <> —————————————————-

The WEA Religious Liberty Commission sponsors this RL Prayer List to help individuals and groups pray specifically and regularly for religious liberty issues, and in particular to uphold the Church where it is suffering persecution.

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