ICC Note: The Pope continues his three-nation tour of Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, and Central African Republic (CAR), preaching a message of peace on a continent increasingly ravaged by violence and Christian persecution. Kenyan and Ugandan Christians face threats from the Somali militant Islamist terror group al-Shabaab. In CAR, Christians are often caught in the shuffle of a political conflict where people have often been targeted because of their ethnicity or faith.
11/27/15 CAR (World Watch Monitor) – For his first trip to Africa, Pope Francis is visiting Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR), from 25-30 November.
The three countries all have predominantly Christian populations – Kenya about 80%, Uganda 85% and CAR 76% – with about 10% or so Muslim in each of them. But they have lots of challenges. The peaceful cohabitation enjoyed by their religious communities for years has been shattered by frequent tensions due notably to religious intolerance, exacerbated by the influence of jihadist groups.
The Pope’s visit comes days after the terrorist attack at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako (Mali), which claimed 22 lives, including those of the two attackers. Two jihadist groups – the Massina Liberation Front and Al Mourabitoun – said they carried out the attack.
Kenya and Uganda, the two East-African countries to be visited, are also facing terrorist threats. They have become a primary target for the Somalia-based Islamist group, Al-Shabaab, because of the presence of their troops within the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).
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