Epicentre of Militant Islamist Violence Has “shifted from the Middle East to Africa”: Catholic Charity Report

Ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria has claimed the lives of nearly 56,000 people in the West African country over four recent years, and the victims have been disproportionately Christian.

Just this month, a devastating Islamic terrorist attack in Burkina Faso, in the eastern town of Manni, left at least 150 people dead. For several months, Islamic insurgents have increased their brutality and their determination to spread terror, which has allowed them to control about half of the territory, ACN previously reported.

According to ACN, Burkina Faso has the highest level of extremist violence in the entire Sahel region as reflected in attacks such as those in Manni and Barsalogho at the end of August, where it is estimated that at least 400 people were killed by these armed Islamic groups.

Turning to other parts of the world, ACN said it has observed an “intensified targeting” of Christians as enemies of the state or of the local community by authoritarian regimes. 

These include the governments of such countries as China, Eritrea, India, and Iran, all of which have “ramped up repressive measures.” India in particular saw 720 attacks or other incidents of persecution against Christians reported in 2023, up from 599 the previous year. 

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Further, ACN said, state and nonstate actors increasingly weaponized existing and new legislation, criminalizing acts deemed disrespectful to the state religion as a means of oppressing Christians and other minority religious groups. 

“Blasphemy laws,” which exist in dozens of countries worldwide, have been particularly devastating in Pakistan, while in Saudi Arabia converting from Islam to Christianity is strictly prohibited and converts can face the prospect of “honor killings.”

Finally, the group highlighted increased threats to Christian children, especially girls, who suffered abduction, sexual violence, forced marriage, and forced conversion.

The report included numerous additional facts about the struggles Christians face in various countries around the world. For example, the Christian population in Syria, devastated by the ongoing civil war, has dropped from 1.5 million to as few as 250,000 today — a similar drop has been recorded in Iraq amid the brutality of the so-called Islamic State. 

The full report can be obtained at ACN’s website.