MYANMAR MILITARY LAUNCHES BRUTAL ATTACKS ON CHRISTIAN AREAS

Our family in Myanmar are in desperate need of our prayers as the military renews its offensive against the Christian Kachin people in the north of Myanmar.  Troops using artillery, helicopter gunships and infantry are reportedly setting fire to homes, forcing people to flee in their thousands. Many are believed to have sought refuge in churches. Commentators are drawing parallels between the current offensive and that unleashed against the Muslim Rohingya. Some reports say that soldiers are using rape as a weapon of war and are deliberately targeting camps for the displaced, which is a war crime. They have also occupied churches and interrogated entire congregations. Kachin rebel fighters have been a military target for decades but fighting between rebel groups and the military began again in earnest in 2011. The conflict has intensified since April, in areas including Mohnyin and Myitkyina districts.

• Please pray for an end to the violence in Myanmar. Pray especially for those who have lost loved ones and homes in recent weeks. Pray that the families affected by persecution whom Release partners are supporting will know God’s presence and protection and His plan for their lives.
• Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict individuals within the military of the cruelty and injustice of their actions. Pray that these individuals will grow into a movement of change for good. (Find out more about our #Pray50 campaign here.)
• Please pray that our family in Myanmar will stand firm in their faith despite the challenges they face.

(Sources: Morning Star News, Sky News, World Watch Monitor)