Morning Explosions in N'Djaména

July 5, 2010: A little after Seven o'clock this morning, massive explosions were heard towards the Chari River, near the bridge, throughout N'Djaména and the surrounding area. This is the result of a fire that burned in the Main Customs Office, burning it to the ground. It is not yet known whether the fire was accidental or deliberate.
The customs agency of Chad is the venue through which most of the goods in the country pass. Please pray for those whose jobs and projects have been affected by this loss.

Oxfam Worker Freed

By Ali Abba Kaya (AFP) – 3 days ago

N'DJAMENA — This past Wednesday, on June 16, a dual-national Swiss and
British Oxfam aid worker arrived in the Chad capital Wednesday after
being freed by troops from nine days' captivity at the hands of
kidnappers he said held him in the dark.

Hubert Ballaman, 57, arrived in N'Djamena on a government-chartered
plane a day after he was freed by soldiers from a joint Chadian and
Sudanese force which stormed the kidnappers' village hideout near the
border with Sudan.

Ballaman was captured on June 6 in Abeche, the main city in volatile
eastern Chad where several aid groups and UN agencies work with hundreds
of thousands of displaced people and refugees from the brutal conflict
in Darfur.

"I was locked up all day in a small room and they let me out at night,"
Ballaman told AFP on the plane from Abeche.

"I did not see daylight for eight days. I had no outside contact. When I
asked to contact Oxfam, they stopped me," he said.

Ballaman, who had an emotional reunion with his wife, said he did not
know who had seized him. Authorities said they had arrested two of the
kidnappers but did not day who they were.

"I was not hurt, I was well treated. I am relieved but very tired," he said.

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jsgZRSBbZDMw_a4hdiAAZ3x4k3sQ

Thank you SO much for praying for Mr. Hubert Ballaman during his
captivity! As we learn of further needs to pray for Chad, we will let
you know...

Oxfam aid worker abducted last Sunday in Abéché

Tue Jun 8, 12:35 pm ET

N'DJAMENA (AFP) – Armed men seized a Western aid worker with the British charity Oxfam in eastern Chad, officials said Tuesday.
The aid worker was snatched while leaving a restaurant on Sunday in Abéché, the main city in eastern Chad, where aid groups and UN agencies work with refugees, a humanitarian source said on condition of anonymity.
The worker with a Congolese colleague and a Chadian driver who were released about 70 kilometers (45 miles) east of Abéché, the source said.
Chad Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir confirmed the kidnapping and said security forces were looking for the abductors. "We are doing all we can to find him," he said.

Read the full article at the Yahoo News Website (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100608/wl_africa_afp/chadkidnapaidoxfam_20100608163619)

Click here to learn more about Oxfam's efforts to help meet practical needs worldwide (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/applications/blogs/pressoffice/?p=13168&v=newsblog)

We do not yet know this man's name, but will pass it on to you as soon as we find out so that we can pray together for him by name.

Let us pray together for his safe return, and that God would keep him safe, wherever he is.

Oxfam aid worker abducted last Sunday in Abéché

Tue Jun 8, 12:35 pm ET

N'DJAMENA (AFP) – Armed men seized a Western aid worker with the British charity Oxfam in eastern Chad, officials said Tuesday.
The aid worker was snatched while leaving a restaurant on Sunday in Abéché, the main city in eastern Chad, where aid groups and UN agencies work with refugees, a humanitarian source said on condition of anonymity.
The worker with a Congolese colleague and a Chadian driver who were released about 70 kilometers (45 miles) east of Abéché, the source said.
Chad Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir confirmed the kidnapping and said security forces were looking for the abductors. "We are doing all we can to find him," he said.

Read the full article at the Yahoo News Website (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100608/wl_africa_afp/chadkidnapaidoxfam_20100608163619)

Click here to learn more about Oxfam's efforts to help meet practical needs worldwide (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/applications/blogs/pressoffice/?p=13168&v=newsblog)

We do not yet know this man's name, but will pass it on to you as soon as we find out so that we can pray together for him by name.

Let us pray together for his safe return, and that God would keep him safe, wherever he is.

Black bags declared illegal in Chad

May 30 (N'Djamena): The ever-present "leida", or black bag, has been
deemed illegal in the entire country of Chad. This is part of the
Chadian government's desire to clean the country up, and is a very needy
step toward a better environment. It was so bad that black plastic bags
trapped in thorn bushes have often been a sign to travelers that one is
approaching a larger city. A fine of 50,000 CFA when a merchant is
found filling a black bag has become the best deterrent.
However, with the disappearance of this necessary eyesore, what is
a poor merchant to do? Newspaper is one alternative used, another is
for the buyer to bring their recipient to be filled in the market. The
Nigerian bags are being divided into four pieces and sewn back together
to make small bags for meat.
It just goes to show that the Chadian people are some of the most
flexible people around, able to adjust to any challenge that comes their
way with a creative solution. Please pray that God would bless this
creativity to prosper the country of Chad once again, and pour out his
blessing on all the peoples who call this nation home.