Africa Becomes Epicenter of Anti-Christian Terror
Armed groups linked to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda control large swaths of the Sahel, burning churches and forcing Christians to flee or submit.
Aid to the Church in Need UK released its Persecuted and Forgotten? report on October 27, finding that oppression of Christians worsened in 55 percent of the 18 countries assessed over the past two years. No country showed overall improvement.
The report identifies Africa as the epicenter of global terrorism. Six of the ten countries most affected by terrorism lie on the continent, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2026. Groups linked to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda affiliates operate across Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, expanding their hold over Christian communities.
Sahel Under Jihadist Control
In Burkina Faso, militants control at least 40 percent of the territory and impose extremist Islam. In Mali, Christians living in Islamist-occupied areas face church burnings and religious taxes that make ordinary life impossible in many places.
Nigeria has suffered mass attacks, killings, and abductions that have contributed to more than 3 million internally displaced people. Entire Christian populations have been driven from large stretches of the country as the violence continues.
Churches Burned, Faithful Forced to Recant
In Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province, Islamic State-affiliated militants have killed more than 2,000 Christians since October 2017 while seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate.
In Sudan, more than 100 churches have been damaged or destroyed since 2023 amid a conflict that has claimed up to 250,000 lives. Christians are pressured to renounce their faith or face starvation.
Egypt recorded more than 30 documented kidnappings of Christian women in 2024, often involving forced conversion and marriage. Authorities frequently fail to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The report draws on local Church sources and public data. The 18 countries examined are those of particular concern rather than necessarily the most dangerous worldwide. Across the regions surveyed, the pattern is consistent: where jihadist control advances, the Cross is driven out.