In Nigeria over 7000 Christians have been killed so far this year, according to a story in Premier Christian News, the equivalent of 32 deaths every day. The figures are based on a report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (‘InterSociety’), which also found that 19,100 churches had been destroyed, 1,100 Christian communities displaced, and more than 600 Christian clerics and a further 7,899 Christians abducted.
The persecution by Boko Haram began in 2009, and InterSociety estimates that more than 185,000 Nigerians have been killed, as well as 60,000 “liberal Muslims”. There seems to be some difference of opinion the media as to the root causes of this. One explanation is that climate change is pushing farmers (typically Christian) and herders (typically Muslim) into conflict. InterSociety, however, believes that Christians were killed “for being Christians,” and that “often our Western news reports overlook the ever-increasing bloodshed in Africa, even as radical Islamists—energised by the Islamic State—continue to ignite deadly infernos.” It has also alleged that these Islamist terror groups are often able to operate under the protection of the state.
The violence has forced millions of Christians to flee or be uprooted from their homes. Bishop Ignatius Kaigama, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, told the Catholic World Report, that “Increased insecurity has continued to haunt our nation. The Boko Haram insurgents, herdsmen militia, bandits, and the so-called unknown gunmen have continued to unleash terror in different parts of the country.”
It is a story which has largely passed us by here in Europe. Please remember in your prayers those who daily face fear and uncertainty because of their Christian faith.
Read the story here.
Picture above: Bishop Ignatius Kaigama, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, by François-Régis Salefran. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence.