http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s03060082.htm
ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 2126, Garden Grove, CA 92842-2126 USA E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED], Web Site: www.assistnews.net
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
UGANDA: JOSEPH KONY (LRA) ORDERS, 'KILL ALL CLERGY' URGENT request for prayer
By Elizabeth Kendal World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (WEA RLC) Special to ASSIST News Service
AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) continues its horrific reign of terror in northern Uganda, despite courageous peace-brokering efforts by church leaders, and the Ugandan Army's military offensive. The leader of the LRA, Joseph Kony, is a spirit medium and is driven by an evil spiritual power that is clearly greater than the Ugandan army or any human influence. For 16 years, the church and the predominantly Christian population of northern Uganda have suffered cruel, barbaric atrocities at the hands of this blasphemous, terrorist cult-militia.
On 14 May, the WEA RLC Prayer ministry reported that 50 LRA militiamen broke into a Catholic Seminary on 11 May, killing one and abducting 44 young seminarians, though three later escaped. Another four are confirmed hacked to death by the LRA when they could no longer walk after being tortured. The remaining 37 seminarians are still missing.
Even the nearly one million Ugandans who have been forced into refugee camps by the LRA rebellion are not safe from the endless terror. On 5 June the LRA clubbed 13 civilians to death in Pabbo Camp north of Gulu. In the early hours of Sunday 15 June, they attacked villages in Lira and Arpac districts, committing their signature atrocities - butchering faces and cutting off hands. At least eight people aged 6 to 61 died from machete wounds. Hundreds of homes were torched, and nearly 100 children were abducted for use as child-soldiers and sex-slaves.
Uganda's church leaders have defied Joseph Kony's threats and courageously keep trying to broker peace. Father Carlos Rodriguez of Gulu says several commanders deserted the LRA during recent peace meetings with church officials. Kony has responded by declaring war on all clergy and missions. Rodriguez says the LRA has since 'burned, bombed and desecrated churches on nine occasions'. Kony stole radio equipment from several Catholic missions and has been using it to communicate with his soldiers. It is set to a specific mission frequency, so other Catholic missions have been picking up Kony's transmissions.
On Saturday 14 June, Kony was heard to order his LRA soldiers: 'Catholic missions must be destroyed, priests and missionaries killed in cold blood and nuns beaten black and blue.' The Ugandan Army also picked up the transmission and has confirmed it as authentic. An escaped LRA prisoner/child-soldier also corroborated the order.
Many Christians are therefore in front-line danger, such as the clergy trying to broker peace, Christian workers seeking to shelter children (like the Noah's Ark Children's Ministry Uganda in Gulu), those trying to bring deep healing and deliverance to traumatised former LRA prisoners/child-soldiers/sex-slaves, and the Christian doctors and carers helping victims of facial mutilation.
(Recent LRA defectors report that Government of Sudan uniformed troops are supplying the LRA with truckloads of advanced weaponry and ammunition.)
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:
God to bind all the demonic spirits allied with Joseph Kony and the LRA, to keep drawing defectors from all ranks of the LRA, and effect the escape and rescue of hundreds of abducted children.
divine protection and blessing for all clergy, nuns, and Christian workers, especially those in front-line danger.
northern Uganda's pastors and teachers, that they will not lose faith or hope, but will be able to shepherd God's children through these horrific times.
divine intervention to come from God's own mighty forces, and that the Lord will burst through the LRA, ending its rebellion forever.
'The Lord has done it!' David exclaimed. 'He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!' So David named that place Baal-perazim (which means 'the Lord who bursts through'.) 2 Samuel 5:20
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Elizabeth Kendal is the Principal Researcher and Writer for the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (WEA RLC) www.worldevangelical.org/rlc.html. This article was initially written for the WEA RLP(Religious Liberty Prayer) mailing list.
Elizabeth can be contacted by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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