Burma is a nation in transition. After decades of brutal military rule, when religious and ethnic minorities were severely persecuted, there are finally some signs of change. However, grave challenges still lie ahead despite some positive developments. Burma has always been a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, and now, serious racial and religious tensions and conflict have come to the fore.

Anti-Muslim violence by militant Buddhists has escalated at a terrifying rate, and in communities where Muslims and Buddhists have lived side by side for centuries, violence has erupted. The Kachin people, who are predominantly Christian, have recently suffered some of the worst human rights violations CSW has ever documented, including rape, torture and murder, and thousands being forced to flee their homes.

This week, please pray:

• Ask God to heal the people of Kachin State, who have suffered terrible violence in the past couple of years;
• Pray that political reforms will lead to lasting change for all Burma’s citizens;
• Pray for the 130,000 Rohingya Muslims displaced since June 2012 following a campaign of violence;
• Ask God to bring physical, emotional and psychological restoration to the families of those who have been killed;
• Pray that security forces would act swiftly in future, to protect those at risk of attack and prevent anti-Muslim violence escalating;
• Pray that the sense of emerging freedom in Burma will bring the nation together for a peaceful future.

Lent reflection: Read Psalm 140:12 and pray for justice for the poor and needy in Burma.