31Mar19 VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA

VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA
The Christian Post reports that hundreds of lives have been lost and hundreds of homes have been burned in Nigeria since the start of 2019, raising questions again about the truth behind the violence occurring between Fulani Muslim herdsmen and predominantly Christian farmers in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. The situation is very complex. While conflicts between nomadic herdsmen and farmers in the Middle Belt date back decades, there’s been a noticeable increase in deadly massacres across several states in the Middle Belt of Nigeria since January 2018, where people were slaughtered and communities razed. In addition to the seemingly countless numbers of people killed, it has been estimated that as many as 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes by the communal violence.

BEIJING CHURCH SHUT DOWN
China shut down a well-known 1,000-member Beijing church last weekend and then changed the locks to prevent members from returning to the building. The congregation, Shouwang Church, made worldwide headlines five years ago when it stood up to Chinese leaders and refused to register with the government. Its senior pastor, Jin Tian-ming, remains under house arrest. In the latest confrontation, more than 20 Chinese police and government officials raided a children’s Bible school class Saturday and told church leaders the congregation could no longer meet, according to International Christian Concern.