Algeria lies on the north coast of Africa – 80% of its land is desert.

Algeria was a French colony for 134 years before it gained independence in 1962. In 1992 the army stopped a militant Islamic party from taking power after they won democratic elections. Since then a gruesomecivil war has killed over 100,000 people . In the last couple of years there has been some hope of finding an end to the conflicts, but peace is still a long way off.

The Algerian government has actively encouraged the development of Islamic Arab state and many Muslim fundamentalists want to introduce stricter Islamic shari’a laws.

Algeria has one of the youngest populations in north Africa – 70% of the population are under 30. Many of them are frustrated and disillusioned about their future and unemployment is sky high.

No part of the country has been left untouched by the massacres and violence that have killed thousands. Pray for an end to the death and destruction.

The Berber peoples could make up as much as 40% of the population, but the Arab majority have tried to impose their culture on them and stopped them from using their own language. Thousands in the Kabyle region have become Christians and meet openly in their villages. Pray for these churches – that they would be protected from persecution and grow in the faith in God.

As many as 2.5 million Algerians have left their country and moved to Europe. There could be more opportunity for them to hear about Jesus but also about Islam.