People in the West African nation of Gambia are facing a time of political turmoil, and Christian leaders are calling for prayer as the tension escalates.
Even just as America has undergone a peaceful transition of power, Gambian people are hoping their country can do the same.
Gambian president Yahya Jammeh has been in power for 22 years. Recently, troops from the neighboring nation of Senegal moved into Gambia and tried to force Jammeh to step down and make way for the newly-elected leader, Adama Barrow, to take office. Citizens are worried that the conflict could end in violence.
“This is a day no Gambian will ever forget in one’s lifetime,” Barrow said. “This is the first time since Gambia gained independence in 1965 that Gambians have changed their government through the ballot box.”
However, Jammeh and his government are fiercely resisting the transition of power.
"Thousands of Gambians have already come across the border into Senegal and they are facing a difficult situation," said Pastor Gabriel Sagna, president of the Evangelical Fraternity of Senegal. "Many of them left without any of their belongings."
Sagna is urging Christians in Senegal, Gambia, and around the world to pray that this political unrest would not end in war.
"Please join us in prayer as we ask the Lord for His Spirit of peace to blow across Gambia and that the suffering and political crisis would come to a peaceful end," Sagna said.
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
Publication date: January 20, 2017
