Islamic extremists are gaining ground in Africa’s Sahel region and Afghanistan, which are set to become hotspots for Christian persecution in 2022, religious freedom charity Release International warns in a report, which says India and North Korea are also “countries of growing concern.”
It’s not just Nigeria, but the larger Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa where Islamic extremism is growing, as the persecution of Christians is also rapidly increasing in India and North Korea, says the charity’s report Persecution Trends 2022.
The Sahel region includes Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal.
“The situation facing Christians in Burkina Faso is now similar to Nigeria,” a partner of the charity adds in the report.
In 2021, jihadists targeted Christians in the north of Burkina Faso, forcing churches to close and meet in secret, the report points out, explaining that attacks ranged from bombings, killings, kidnappings and school burnings to assaults on religious leaders and places of worship.
Pressure in the region is likely to continue in 2022, particularly following the drawdown of French troops in the area.
The al-Qaeda and Islamic State terror groups have been launching attacks in West Africa since last January. In May, suspected jihadists ambushed a baptism ceremony where they killed 15 Christians in northern Burkina Faso’s Oudalan province near the Mali border.
“Similar pressure is building in neighboring Nigeria, where attacks by Boko Haram terrorists, [Islamic State] fighters and Fulani militia continued throughout 2021,” says the report, quoting a partner of the charity as saying, “Fulani militants destroyed more than 50 villages and displaced nearly 5,000 Christians. The attacks by the Fulani now include kidnappings for ransom. Churches, church leaders and Christian communities remain the primary targets.”
The charity warns that attacks could escalate in 2022, as political campaigning gets underway ahead of the 2023 general election, just as attacks by Boko Haram and Fulani extremists have increased over election periods in the past.
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