Wave of jihadist violence leaves thousands of Christians persecuted and displaced in Africa

In recent months, the situation for Christians in several regions of Africa has deteriorated drastically due to violence perpetrated by jihadist groups, according to human rights organizations. In Nigeria, for example, the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) reports that between January 1 and August 10, 2025, at least 7,087 Christians were killed for their faith, while another 7,800 were kidnapped.

This rate of violence equates to an average of 30 Christian deaths per day, according to the report. Furthermore, this year more than 19,000 churches have been destroyed and more than 1,100 Christian communities have been displaced, according to Intersociety.

In Nigeria, several of the attacks are led by Fulani herdsmen and groups linked to the Islamic State, such as Boko Haram and the ISWAP faction. One of the most brutal episodes occurred in Benue State, where nearly 200 Christians, refugees in a camp for displaced people, were murdered by extremists.

Nigeria is not alone in suffering this persecution. Particularly horrific attacks have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): on July 27, 2025, militants from the Islamist group ADF, affiliated with the Islamic State, attacked a Catholic church in Komanda, killing between 43 and 50 people. Furthermore, in February 2025, another massacre was reported: some 70 Christians were kidnapped and beheaded by ADF fighters in a Protestant church in Kasanga, in the Kivu region.

The violence has also generated a serious humanitarian crisis. Organizations such as Open Doors report that Islamic extremism has caused mass displacement in sub-Saharan Africa: in Burkina Faso alone, more than 2 million people have been displaced, many of them Christians.

Analysts and some religious leaders warn that these actions constitute a form of systematic religious persecution, even going so far as to describe some of these attacks as part of a possible genocide.

The international community is closely monitoring this crisis, although many denounce the response as insufficient in the face of the growing number of innocent victims.