More wars are expected this year, and among the regions to watch is Africa, which has predominately sided with the Palestinians in the ongoing Israel/Hamas conflict.
Africa’s impending participation in the war is amongst the 5784/2024 prophecies that were recently released by the Restoration World Outreach Ministries Incorporated (RWOMI). The prophecies were given through Apostle Dr. Steve Lyston, Pastor Dr. Michelle Lyston, Bishop Dr. Doris Hutchinson, Prophetess Sophia DiMuccio, Prophetess Nadra Brotherton and Prophet David Benoit
“We are about to see more nations rising against nations in 2024 and beyond. Nations will join forces and fight against Israel. We must pray for Israel and its allies,” the prophets warned.
According to the prophecies, the current war against Israel will spread, and many African nations will be drawn into it.
Photo source: BBC
“God wants the body of Christ to pray that these African nations will not fight against Israel. I see many Africans are dying because of this. There are nations planning to use the African nations to do their dirty work, but God sees and will expose them. Pray against serious deception,” was the call given through the prophecies.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza strip has left the African continent deeply divided, but according to Alex Thurston, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati, there are numerous indications that most African governments, key African political factions, and substantial portions of African publics are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and appalled at the current Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
“Some African countries that initially appeared highly supportive of Israel immediately after Hamas’s October 7 attack have since taken more nuanced stances as the death toll from Israel’s response mounted: Kenya, for example, initially made a strong statement of “solidarity” with Israel, but has since backed calls for de-escalation,” he noted.
Hundreds of people in different cities in South Africa have also held protests to denounce the continued Israeli occupation of Palestine, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has openly pledged his support and solidarity with the Palestinians.
South Africa has accused Israel of being “in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention” and last week filed an application at the International Court of Justice for proceedings to begin against Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza.
“South Africa is gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants,” a statement released last week Friday by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said.
“Furthermore, there are ongoing reports of international crimes, such as crimes against humanity and war crimes, being committed as well as reports that acts meeting the threshold of genocide or related crimes as defined in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, have been and may still be committed in the context of the ongoing massacres in Gaza,” it said.
Israel is to appear before the ICJ in the Hague to contest South Africa’s genocide accusations.
“We assure South Africa’s leaders, history will judge you, and it will judge you without mercy,” an Israeli government spokesman, Eylon Levy said.
Lawyers representing South Africa are preparing for the hearing scheduled for January 11 and 12. South Africa has consistently likened the plight of Palestinians to those of the Black majority during the apartheid era, but Israel has strongly opposed this comparison.
While some African countries have sided with Palestine, others have not hidden their support for Israel. In North Africa, demonstrators have hosted protests in Algeria, Libya, and Morocco to show support in favour of Palestine. Kenya, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are some of those countries whose leaders have shown support for Israel, despite growing global condemnation.
“Kenya joins the rest of the world in solidarity with the State of Israel and unequivocally condemns terrorism and attacks on innocent civilians in the country,” Kenya’s President William Ruto wrote on X (formerly twitter) at the outset of the current conflict in Gaza. “There exists no justification whatsoever for terrorism, which constitutes a serious threat to international peace and security.”
Very few countries in the African continent have taken a pro Israeli stance. Many have in fact, consistently called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The general view is that countries that support Israel are motivated by factors, such as military and economic support from that country and its allies.
According to Michael Bishku, Professor of Middle Eastern and African History at Augusta University, Israel is popular with many devout Christians in east Africa, as is the case throughout the continent. Muslims in East Africa on the other hand, have a greater concern for the situation of the Palestinians. All three countries – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – have populations adhering to these two religions.
