The Burmese military recently bombed Hnan Chaung village, in Chin State. Houses were burned down, seven civilians were killed (including two children, a mother and an infant), and at least eight others were injured. Fighting between the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed resistance group, and the Burmese military (named the Tatmadaw) had been ongoing for several days with gunfire and explosions. Two Tatmadaw jets bombed the village many times, damaging several churches. Also, a 53-year-old man was hospitalised after stepping on a landmine. During the coronavirus pandemic, human rights organisations and others are calling for a nationwide ceasefire in Burma, saying that everyone should focus efforts on fighting the virus and protecting the vulnerable, not fighting wars and killing civilians.

A ceasefire few expected to last is holding in Idlib, for now - but the last rebel-held area in northwest Syria is bracing itself for the expected onslaught of the deadly coronavirus. The 5 March truce between Russia and Turkey halted a dangerous escalation of nine punishing years of war in Syria, but Idlib's breathing space is fraught with fear of the new enemy. The health system has been destroyed by bombing by Russian and Syrian warplanes. Nearly a million displaced people, sheltering inside flimsy tents, or on open ground, have few defences against the powerful Covid-19. ‘There's a humanitarian and political imperative for a complete, immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria’, said the UN special envoy, in his recent briefing to the UN Security Council.

On 24 March India shut its £2.3 trillion economy, closing businesses and issuing strict stay-at-home orders to over a billion people. The lockdown, due to end on 14 April, has been extended as the virus spreads through dense communities and new clusters of infection are being reported daily. The sudden lockdown threw the lives of millions of children into chaos. Tens of thousands are calling helplines daily, and thousands are going to bed hungry. India has the largest child population in the world (472 million). The lockdown has impacted 40 million children from poor families. Everyone must stay home - but what about the street children? Where do they go? Officially Delhi has over 70,000 street children, but the real number is much higher. Pray for the millions of homeless children on streets, under flyovers, or narrow lanes and bylanes. See

Days after the UN called for a halt to fighting in Yemen amid the coronavirus pandemic, a two-week ceasefire was declared by the Saudi-UAE coalition. But the Houthis said they would keep fighting unless a years-long siege on the impoverished nation is lifted. The conflict has killed over 100,000 people and pushed millions to the verge of famine. The vulnerable impoverished people now have their first coronavirus case, and the country is now bracing itself for the pandemic. Continue to pray for a de-escalation in the fighting, widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and for the Houthis to join the UN-sponsored talks for a settlement to the five-year conflict. Pray particularly for God to soften the heart of Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, the Houthi spokesman.

‘It will disappear one day like a miracle’ is how Donald Trump originally described coronavirus. For weeks he assured Americans it was ‘totally under control’. However, the US now has the largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases (644,188). Healthcare workers have medical shortages. Hospitals are overwhelmed. The president is accused of ignoring crisis warnings and misleading Americans. Trump insists he is ‘doing the job right’, using daily briefings to promote his achievements. He has now made the controversial decision to halt funds to the World Health Organisation, accusing it of mismanaging the virus spread. America is WHO’s largest donor. The UN said, ‘It is not the time to reduce resources for any humanitarian organisation in the fight against the virus’. Trump is suspected of attempting (in the lead-up to the presidential election for his second term) to make a case that his previous optimistic statements had been based on inaccurate information from WHO: see

Papa Jörg, an intercessor-evangelist in Hamburg, prays for ‘Ahmad’, a friend of an Iranian believer that Papa Jörg led to faith in Jesus and regularly prays for. At the beginning of March Ahmad had a lung infection and passed out in an Iranian hospital. He had COVID-19 and was put on life support. The Iranian doctors said there was nothing else to be done but pray. So Papa Jörg prayed. Every day he recorded his prayers for Ahmad over WhatsApp and sent them to his friend. On the 17th day, he received a message that he was recovering, and two days later Ahmad was healed of COVID-19. ‘Do the Iranian doctors know that we Christians prayed for Ahmad?’ Papa Jörg asked. ‘Yes’, replied his friend, ‘I sent your message to him every day, and Ahmad’s sister told everyone’. For other stories of hope, click the ‘More’ button.

A nursing home in Washington had an outbreak of Covid-19. 34 residents died and a further 101 had the virus. 90-year-old Geneva Wood was recovering from a stroke. A few days before she was to return home, the disease struck and the centre went on lockdown. Then Geneva caught Covid-19. While she was alone in isolation one night she thought she was dying. ‘I could feel God’s presence. His hands were on my body and I could feel His presence and I would wake up and I could feel these hands and I would go back to sleep. Through the night, I would wake up, I couldn’t see His face, but I could feel His hands and I knew He was with me and I made it through the night. My faith in God, my family, and the church’s prayers pulled me through.’

At the time of writing, Boris Johnson is still in hospital, but out of intensive care and 'responding to treatment' after contracting coronavirus and not improving in isolation at home. The Archbishop of Canterbury urged Britain to pray for Boris and thanked the NHS in the country's fight against coronavirus. Boris is being closely monitored by a top lung doctor and his fever has eased while he remains clinically stable. He has been sitting up in bed and engaged positively with the clinical team, although not yet working. He can contact those he needs to as lockdown rules are discussed at this critical time. The NHS medical director warned, ‘Now is not the time to become complacent’. Downing Street hopes that Boris is over the worst of the infection. Pray for health and God’s healing to touch his body. Pray for God to impact his immune system.

London Prayer has launched a new initiative called 'Pray for NHS'. People wanting to pray for the NHS are invited to text 07857051229. They will then be invited to join a group. The group sends out a daily prayer update with targeted points based on information received from London medical staff and other sources. NHS staff will also use the number to submit urgent prayer requests. The founder of London Prayer said ‘I'm so thankful for the work that the NHS is doing, we want to see them supernaturally enabled, strengthened and equipped. There has to be a partnership between the Church and people of prayer to stand behind frontline workers – putting our hands prayerfully upon their backs to ensure the line that they are holding in terms of treatment is held.’ This London initiative will go further, as people in Southampton, Birmingham and Manchester have enquired about organising the same initiative in their areas.

In 2016 we prayed that a vision to build a wall of one million bricks, each brick representing an answered prayer, would become a reality, and it did. Now the Wall is seeking 10,000 testimonies during April to share hope with the nation online and sow faith at this challenging time. People have more time on their hands than ever, and as they read stories of answered prayer they will find fresh hope instead of fear, joy instead of anxiety; and encounter the God who answers prayer. They are inviting each intercessor to be a social media warrior and give them 15 minutes a day - or take time to share an answered prayer on their website. To do so, please click the ‘More’ button. It is encouraging to see the answered prayers that are beginning to come out of this crisis. To be involved, contact