Source: www.persecution.org
Date: April 23, 2020
Iraq (International Christian Concern) – A number of Catholic charities in Iraq are raising the alarm that because of COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, they are unable to access Christians who remain internally displaced by ISIS. These charities are based in the KRG (Kurdish Regional Government), but often work in the Nineveh Plains, which is a disputed territory between the KRG and ICG. During normal circumstances, this dispute already makes it difficult for charities to travel between locations. COVID-19 makes travel almost impossible.
Throughout the pandemic, Nineveh has regularly recorded within the bottom tier of confirmed cases. This tier all consists of provinces severely impacted ISIS. Humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned that there is no infrastructure in place in Nineveh which can accurately measure and address COVID-19. For example, cases are often referred to Baghdad for testing. Because Nineveh is the traditional homeland of most of Iraq’s Christians, they are disproportionately impacted by these problems.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for displaced Christians to access the aid they need. Pray for an end to the COVID-crisis. Pray for the Gospel to spread through these humanitarian outreach efforts.