A lull in the battle.

What do you do when your home becomes a battle field? Since the beginning of February 2007, 58,000 people have fled the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The present conflict is the fourteenth attempt to restore central rule in Somalia since the 1991 ousting of Mohammad Siad Baird. The last two weeks have been some of the worst fighting yet with "Ethiopian and Somali troops pitted against Islamist insurgents and clan militia". The UN reported that a brief lull in the battle on Monday gave Mogadishu residents an opportunity to bury their dead and venture back onto the streets for the first time in five days. With this break in the fighting, another 47,000 Somalis have made a dash to leave the city and escape the violence -- making a total of 96,000 Somali refugees already in 2007. The Standard interviewed a clan militia fighter who said "Last night was the first night I have slept since the war started. People see this as a chance to collect their belongings and get out."

It is in such a time as this that faith is the only thing that we have. Faith that God sees. Faith that God is just and compassionate. Faith that in God's grace that He will bring life and hope even out of such suffering and death. As Christians, we journey through this passion week toward the cross of Good Friday with the assurance that Easter Sunday is coming. We pray that our Somali neighbours will discover this same assurance as they journey on their desperate road.

PRAY WITH US,...
Pray for both political and spiritual peace & reconciliation:

As we pray for peace, we are watching for what may come from reconciliation talks planned for April 16 among Somali elders, politicians, and former warlords. Meanwhile, countries such as Uganda (which has some 1,200 Ugandan soldiers caught in the crossfire) are pleading with countries such as Eritrea to stop backing the Islamists (Eritrea denies arming the Islamists but it is certain that there are outside interests supporting the conflict).