Pray for Somalia

• Full Name: N/A
• Government Type: no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government
• Leader(s): Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (president) (note: his government only holds a small part of Somalia)
• Population: 10,085,638 (July 2012 est.)
• People Groups: 10
• Religions:
• Sunni Muslim> 98%
• Small Christian minority
• Average Annual Income (GNI per capita): $150 (1990 est.) (note: very difficult to acquire reliable current data)
• Population Below Poverty Line: N/A
• Prayer requests:
• Pray for the Deaf Somali, an unengaged people group. In addition, pray for the Garre, Bantu Swahili, and Gosha people groups, which have been adopted, but are in need of workers.
• According to the New York Times, “Year after year, Somalia is ranked as one of the world’s poorest, most violent countries, plagued by warring militias, bandits, warlords and pirates.” In addition, it is a country that has experienced severe drought and famine, including a recent drought, which some have considered to be the worst drought in 60 years in the Horn of Africa. Millions of Somalis are in critical need of humanitarian aid, and hundreds of thousands in danger of dying. Pray for an end to the terrible social and natural devastation that affects many Somalis, and that laborers would rise up to minister in this difficult environment, and people might see that in Christ, there is hope.
• Somalia is an overwhelming Muslim state, with one prominent militant Islamic group pledging allegiance to Al Qaeda. This group will often use its power to deny people desperately needed humanitarian aid. Pray for the protection and provision for those affected, for those who courageously seek to minister in the name Jesus, and that the strongholds of Islam would fall under the power of the gospel.
• There has been an increase of sexual abuse and rape against women, and a state of overwhelming impunity that pervades the country often leaves them defenseless. Pray for their protection, for justice, and that God in His sovereignty would provide ministry opportunities for these women.