MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

John 16:1-2, “… the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.’”

By Morgan Lee, The Christian Post – “Seventeen were killed and 10 wounded on Monday after Muslim rebels in the Central African Republic attacked a church which had provided refuge for thousands of the country’s beleaguered citizens. The Rev. Thibault Ndemaguia confirmed the number to the Associated Press several hours after the attacks.

Residents believe that the fighters attacked the Catholic Church compound in Bambari seeking revenge for the death of a young Muslim man, reported Reuters. Between 4,000 and 6,000 Christians are believed to have taken shelter at St. Joseph Cathedral of Bambari.

The Rev. Firmin Gbagoua, a priest at St. Joseph’s, told Reuters that he believed the attackers assumed the cathedral was hiding members of the Christian militia, or anti-balaka.

A Seleka official defended the actions of his group and told Reuters that his group had been attacked by the anti-balaka.

‘All we did was retaliate,’ a spokesperson for the group, Ahmat Negad, said.

Some blamed French forces for insufficiently acting to prevent the attack, though the military argued that after it had been attacked it ‘immediately returned fire.’ It did not mention whether it had been the country’s Christians or Muslim fighters who had targeted it.

The Central African Republic’s violence stems back to the takeover of the majority Christian country last year by the mostly Muslim Seleka rebel group, whose time in power was marked by a string of rights abuses that spawned the anti-balaka.” Read more.

Flashback: Central African Republic: Thousands Of Christians Flee After Muslims Hunt Door-To-Door For Enemies Of ‘Allah’ – “Christian civilians fled by the thousands to the airport guarded by French forces in this chaotic capital Friday as the mostly Muslim armed fighters who have ruled the country since March hunted door-todoor for their enemies and the death toll from inter-communal violence rose to 280 people. Bodies lay decomposing along the roads in a city too dangerous for many to collect the corpses. Thursday’s clashes marked the worst unrest in Bangui in nine months and raised fears that waves of retaliatory attacks could soon follow. ‘They are slaughtering us like chickens,’ said Appolinaire Donoboy, a Christian whose family remained in hiding.” Read more.

Flashback: Central African Republic: Islamic Militants Armed With ‘Hit List’ Of Pastors And Churches Launch ‘Reign Of Terror’ Against Christians – “Islamic militants have launched a ‘reign of terror’ against Christians in Central African Republic after Seleka rebels took control of the country in a March 24 coup, rights activists said. Armed with a ‘hit list’ of pastors and places of worship, Seleka rebels systematically looted church property, even seizing money from collection plates, according to Barnabas Fund, a Christian aid and advocacy group working in the region. The reports, monitored by BosNewsLife Saturday, June 1, come after last month’s report released by the Human Rights Watch group cited ‘severe violations’ committed by Seleka rebels against civilians including rape, pillage and execution.” Read more.