Before European colonization in 1880 or prior, most of the continent did not have well defined geopolitical boundaries. The only two tribes that are countries themselves after European colonization are Lesotho and Swaziland. After European colonization, the continent of Africa has become more ethnically diverse due to being separated by geopolitical boundaries. Geopolitical boundaries are basically the borders between countries. This is especially true of the Berbers in the North and the Bantu tribes in the southeast. Many African countries have become more ethnically diverse because the borders between countries prevent most people from traveling freely from country to country.
There are only two countries in Africa that are over 40% Muslim and 40% Christian. One of these is Nigeria.
Africa can be defined by specific regions depending on the different geographer you talk to. These different regions can be defined as the Sahara Desert, Savannah/Sahel, the horn, and other sub- Saharan African countries.
The savannah/Sahel is about 300 miles north to south and 3000+ miles east to west. The countries in the Sahel are: Sudan (southern), South Sudan, Niger, Nigeria (northern), Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Mauritania. This region is frequently prone to droughts and floods. Except for South Sudan which is dominant Christian nation, this region is mostly Muslim and unreached by the gospel.
The horn of Africa is Ethiopia (eastern), Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia. Somalia is considered one of the most failed states in the world. Somalia has no central government. Since there is little food, people have resorted to piracy as a means of livelihood. There was someone recently thrown off a balcony for professing his Christian faith in Somalia.
Pray to God that through persecution, God’s word spreads in Somalia.
One of the problems in Africa is the large refuge populations. It is of the large refugee populations that some have lost hope. Without proper shelter, food, and clothing, many don’t know if they’ll live the next day.
It was through the Darfur, Sudan conflict in 2003 that many left for Chad. After people came to Chad, Christians served them and more came to know Jesus as their lord and savior.
Praise God for those got reached during that time. Pray that those Christians will show unconditional love with their neighbors in Chad.
Over the past few years, Boko Haram has ravaged villages and kidnapped children. Boko Haram took over the city of Gwoza in the Borno state of northeastern Nigeria. Boko Haram has declared an Islamic State there. The military of Nigeria has been struggling to fight them. Recently, between 500 and 1500 each week have been leaving Nigeria for Niger and Chad. This has created a new refugee situation.
Pray that God will raise up Christians to serve these new refugees. Pray that these refugees will soon know about the God that created them and forgives them. Pray they will have ears to hear the word of God from the bible.
Disease has left many children orphaned in several countries of sub-Saharan Africa. At times, HIV/AIDS has hit between 10% and 30% of people in a few countries. Thankfully, a few of these countries have improved economically and with health education, the rates of HIV/AIDS has come down. Praise God for improvements economically and health education that led to the rate of HIV/AIDS falling. Other countries have not fared as well because HIV/AIDS is still widespread.
The recent Ebola outbreak of 2014 has led to over 20,000 cases and over 1200 dead. The Ebola outbreak has hit Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria. A few places have been hit pretty hard economically due to being short of resources.
Pray that God raises people up to serve the children. Pray that any new treatments become affordable for new people. Pray for aid to come to the areas that have been hit economically. Pray that God uses these recent events to draw more people to himself.
