Persecution

Sudan

Last month marked the second anniversary of the brutal civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force. While both parties have been accused of extreme atrocities against Sudan’s civilian population, including violence against houses of worship and religious leaders, the RSF has faced particular scrutiny for its brutal tactics against defenseless civilian communities. “The R.S.F. and allied militias have systematically murdered men and boys — even infants — on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence.” 165 churches have had to close since the war started in 2023. Some churches are used as bases for military operations in the war, with people sheltering there forced out or even killed to make way for soldiers. Members of the clergy have been targeted, with soldiers shooting or stabbing priests and others during their raids. The well-equipped SAF often bombs churches, indiscriminately injuring or killing those sheltering inside, including women and children. The brutal fighting has killed more than 150,000 people since 2023 and displaced more than 8.7 million (some reports say 12.5 million) of Sudan’s 48 million residents.  Afraid of losing leverage or battlefield advantage, both sides have also blocked humanitarian assistance from reaching those in need. Recent freezes of U.S.-funded aid (USAID) in Sudan have closed hundreds of aid distribution points, leaving tens of thousands of Sudanese civilians without food and medicine as famine conditions threaten the country and the fighting continues. Please Pray for an end to the fighting in Sudan, and in particular for our Christian bros and sisters there.
Source: http://www.persecution.org (ICC)

Nigeria

On Sunday, June 1, armed groups attacked communities in Gwer West and Apa counties, killing at least 43 people. The attackers were described by authorities and locals as Fulani ethnic militias.  Days earlier, similar attacks across several villages in Gwer West led to 42 deaths and the displacement of hundreds of residents. The attack happened close to a military checkpoint, but no response came from the soldiers. People were left to defend themselves. The violence in Benue came just one day after the abduction of 14 women along Owukpa Road. The women, traveling in a Benue Link transport bus from a market in Enugu state, remain missing. Their whereabouts are unknown. No arrests have been reported in connection with the recent attacks, and investigations into the identity and affiliations of the perpetrators are ongoing.  Since May 2023, at least 10,217 Nigerians have been killed in violent incidents nationwide, according to data compiled from civil society organizations and media reports.  In the same report, Amnesty stated that “672 villages have reportedly been sacked in Benue, Plateau, and Kaduna States alone,” with many of the affected communities being Christian-majority farming settlements. The humanitarian consequences are mounting. Thousands of displaced people are taking shelter in schools, churches, and open fields with limited access to necessities, such as clean water, food, and medical services. Relief efforts remain sparse, and local aid providers say they are overwhelmed. 

South-East Asia

Although Christians throughout Asia are increasingly facing severe persecution, the gospel is spreading, and more people are putting their trust in Christ in many East Asian and Southeast Asian nations. This growth is occurring within a challenging environment and in the face of relentless opposition to Christian teachings. Murder, violence, political and social isolation, unjust laws against conversion to Christianity, opposition to church buildings and services, increased surveillance against believers, restrictions on Bibles and Christian materials, and regular harassment, arrests, and imprisonments are just some of the things Asian Christians face daily. 
Even the conservative estimates would equal more than 85 million to about 130 million Christians in China alone, a country with intense, systemic persecution and opposition to the gospel.  In South Korea, Christianity has experienced significant growth since the 1960s, making the country second only to the United States in the number of Christian missionaries it sends overseas. In Mongolia, Christianity was almost non-existent in the 1990s and 2000s. Now, there are hundreds of Christian fellowships and churches. Christianity is also continuing to grow steadily across the region in Communist, Buddhist, and Islam-dominated nations like Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.  “The church in Asia is growing and is strong, but they need more prayers, partnerships, and encouragement amid the huge adversity they face. Please continue to pray for the continued growth of Christianity in Asia, for strong discipleship and Bible teaching for new Christians and churches, and for strength and courage for the many persecuted and pressured believers in this region.” 

India

Last month Christians in northeast India marked the second anniversary of violence that struck Manipur in 2023. As the anniversary passed, a lasting peaceful solution to the brutal ethnic and communal conflict that erupted between the Hindu-majority Meitei and Christian-majority Kuki-Zo communities in Manipur is still nowhere in sight. The violent and bloody clashes claimed more than 250 lives, displaced more than 60,000 people, and reduced thousands of homes, churches, temples, and other religious buildings to ashes.  Today, the harrowing realities of those who lived through this conflict and the scars of destruction are visible at every corner, deepening the divide between the two communities.  The anniversary was marked with mass gatherings, shutdowns in both the Meitei-dominant Imphal valley and the Kuki-zo-dominated hill districts, bringing life to a grinding halt across Manipur on May 3.  The National United Christian Forum (NUCF) of India expressed deep concern over the continued violence in Manipur, calling upon the federal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to take decisive measures to restore peace and disarm all militant groups. Please Pray for lasting peace in the State of Manipur. Pray for protection for all our Christian bros and sisters.
Source: https://www.persecution.org/2025/05/05/indian-christians-observe-second-anniversary-of-manipur-violence/

Iran

Iran’s repressive regime executed more than 900 peoplein 2024 and handed down “scores of death sentences for religious-based charges,” according to a March report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Research by the U.K.-based nonprofit Article 18 found that Iranian courts sentenced 96 Christians to a combined 263 years in prison in 2024. These troubling statistics represent a 38 percent increase in average sentence length and a sixfold increase in cumulative sentencing compared to 2023. Several Christians received particularly severe sentences of 10 years or more, according to the Article 18 report published in January. In addition to increased judicial repression of religion, Iran also stepped up its street-level enforcement of morality laws, mainly targeting women and girls seen as violating the country’s strict religious regulations on dress. “Morality police violently arrested and assaulted women not in compliance with these regulations,” USCIRF said in its March report, adding that the morality police “also penalized businesses that allowed patronage by women not wearing the hijab.” One of the world’s few theocracies, the Iranian system is built on extreme devotion to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. For religious minorities in Iran, there is no escape from the extremist policies of a government fueled by an extremist interpretation of Shia Islam that leaves no room even for Sunni Islam, much less religious minorities like Christianity. However, despite the persecution, the church in Iran is the fastest growing church in the world, per capita. Please Pray for our Christian bros and sisters in Iran, for strength, courage and boldness, especially those in prison.
Source: https://www.persecution.org/2025/04/09/the-brutal-persecution-of-iranian-christians-is-growing/f