East Africa: German president apologises for killings, King Charles ‘regrets’
During a visit to southern Tanzania, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier apologised and asked for forgiveness for colonial-era killings during Germany’s rule. He vowed to raise awareness of the atrocities in his country, in a step towards ‘communal healing’ of the bloody past. Tanzania suffered under German colonial rule for decades, and saw one of the region’s deadliest uprisings from 1905 to 1907. During the revolt, known as the Maji Maji Rebellion, between 200,000 and 300,000 Indigenous people were murdered by German troops. Steinmeier said Germany was ready to begin a ‘communal processing’ of the past, as he met with descendants of an executed leader of the revolt. In contrast, on a state visit to Kenya, King Charles III expressed ‘deep regret’ for the ‘abhorrent and unjustifiable’ acts of violence committed during the 1952-1960 Mau Mau revolt, in which 90,000 Kenyans died, but stopped short of apologising or proposing reparations. See
IHOP leader accused of sexual misconduct
Mike Bickle, founder of the 24/7 worship centre in Kansas known as the International House of Prayer, is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, said to span several decades. His church has been hosting continuous prayer and worship for around 15 years, and a livestream of its praise music is watched by millions around the world. In the 1990s he also led a group known as the Kansas City Prophets, which conducted international mission trips, introducing many Christians, including in the UK, to prophetic words and pictures. A statement by three investigators said: ‘When these allegations were brought to our attention, we were shocked. The allegations seemed out of character to the man we thought we knew, but they were so serious we could not ignore them.’ In their view, he used his position of spiritual authority over several victims to manipulate them. Although Mike Bickle denies the allegations, he has agreed not to preach or teach until the situation is resolved. It is reported that he preached on the issue of false allegations just last week.
Global: democracy declines
An annual report by the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) says that democracy declined around the world for the sixth consecutive year in 2022 as half the world’s countries slid backwards on indicators such as freedom of expression and political participation. IDEA secretary-general Kevin Casas-Zamora stated that ‘democracy is still in trouble, stagnant at best, and declining in many places’. The six-year fall is the longest period of democratic backsliding since records began in 1975. Casas-Zamora attributed the decline to the global weakening of democratic institutions that otherwise help safeguard human rights and the rule of law. Both the United Kingdom and the United States were named as ‘backsliding’, as were Guatemala and El Salvador, which both saw widespread political turmoil and human rights violations in 2022. In eastern Europe and Asia, countries such as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, and Turkey scored poorly: in Africa the decline was exemplified by a wave of coups d’etat.
Saudi Arabia: football, human rights, nuclear programme
News that Saudi Arabia is on course to host the 2034 football World Cup is grim. The country might not win the cup, but its capacity for state murder is world class: 112 killed this year so far and counting. However, the news should come as no surprise: its geopolitical power is rising and combining with vast wealth to ensure that objections to its human rights record are brushed aside by those in power. Before he was elected president, Joe Biden declared that Saudi would be treated as a ‘pariah state’ following the state-sanctioned murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. But once he was in the Oval Office, realpolitik intervened. His administration is now most concerned about China’s growing influence, which is why it has agreed to Saudi Arabia’s request for help in building a civilian nuclear programme - which critics fear could lead to developing nuclear weapons. US dollars could end up paying for the defence of a brutal Gulf regime that has undermined Western economies, helped Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by cutting oil supplies and keeping prices high, and continued with the catastrophic war in Yemen. In these terms, gifting Bin Salman the World Cup seems like a minor folly.
