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North Africa News
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Captain on Trial for Throwing Migrants Overboard
The Mediterranean Sea.
Photo: Wiki Commons / Andreas MeckA boat captain faces a prison sentence of up to 90 years after being charged in Spain with the murder of six Christian migrants by allegedly throwing them overboard. According to the indictment against him, the captain and a colleague attacked the six Nigerian Christians because they believed the passengers' prayers had provoked a storm during the voyage from North Africa.
The inflatable boat had about 50 migrants aboard when it left Morocco in December of 2014 to make the 14-kilometre voyage to Spain. Police state in the indictment that the attackers pulled back slats and beat the Christians, then threw them into the "raging sea" where they were lost. One body was found a few days later off the coast of Granada.
The captain, named as Alain N.B. from Cameroon, has denied all charges. He was one of two men arrested in connection with the incident; the second man died before the start of the trial. Prosecutors in the Spanish city of Almería have requested 15 years for each of the six offences. If convicted of all charges, Alain will be serving 45 of the total 90 years behind bars.
So far this year, more than 300,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea in order to reach Europe, after fleeing countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria. Another 3,000 died while attempting to make the crossing. (For a report on a similar incident involving the persecution of migrants, click here.)
Please pray for the grieving families and friends of the six Nigerian Christians whose lives tragically ended while at sea. May they continue to sense God's comforting presence and strength. Likewise, let's uphold the loved ones of the many other migrants who perished while crossing the Mediterranean Sea in their attempts to seek refuge. In addition to praying that justice will prevail during the upcoming trial, please intercede on behalf of the accused captain who is, from an eternal perspective, spiritually lost and destined to perish unless he genuinely repents and turns His life over to God. May Alain experience our Lord's unconditional love and, as a result, receive His mercy and salvation.
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Christian Refugees Thrown Overboard
Migrants crossing from North Africa to Sicily
Photo: Vito Manzari via Barnabas FundMilitant Muslims, who were among the migrants trying to flee from Libya to Italy in a boat, threw 12 of their fellow passengers overboard. Witnesses of the incident testified that the perpetrators had committed this crime because the victims were followers of Christ. Italian authorities have consequently arrested 15 people on suspicion of murder for those lost at sea.
The original group of passengers, consisting of 105 people, left Libya on April 14th in a rubber boat. Sometime during the trip north across the Mediterranean Sea, the alleged assailants -- Muslims from the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal -- threw the believers overboard.
According to tearful witnesses, a dispute broke out when a Nigerian Christian man prayed for salvation as the boat moved out to sea. "The Muslims...threw the Christians into the water," explained a believer who was aboard the vessel. "We tried to stop them, but there were more of them than us." Other passengers on the voyage told police that they themselves were spared "because they strongly opposed the drowning attempt and formed a human chain." The murdered Christians were from Nigeria and Ghana.
Thousands of people each year make the dangerous sea journey from North Africa to Europe's Mediterranean coast, often aboard vessels that are poorly equipped for the trip. Many of them attempt the voyage to flee war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
Please intercede on behalf of the many friends and family members who are now coping with the tragic loss of loved ones due to this incident, asking God to greatly comfort their grieving hearts and strengthen their faith. May the Italian authorities deal justly with the perpetrators, holding them accountable for committing this terrible crime. Pray, too, that the assailants, along with many others of North Africa who do not yet know our Risen Lord Jesus, will come to faith in Him.
