Persecution

Provided by International Christian Concern

Data highlights deadly threat posed by Islamic State in DRC 

Analysis by ACLED, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data group, indicates that the recent focus on the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has resulted in fewer resources being dedicated to combatting the Islamic State group in the country. Islamic State Central Africa Province — better known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) — has taken advantage of the relative inattention to launch increased attacks on civilians, including a February operation in which it killed 70 Christians in a Lubero-area church.

The ADF is one of many African terrorist organizations aligned with the jihadist Islamic State movement. It stands out among the country’s 120 militant groups for its brutal tactics and explicit animosity toward Christianity. According to ACLED, ADF attacks on civilians in the first quarter of 2025 resulted in 68 percent more fatalities compared to the previous quarter, making it the “second-deadliest quarter of civilian targeting by the ADF since ACLED began recording data on the group in 1997.” In total, ACLED recorded and verified at least 450 deaths among unarmed civilians in the first quarter of 2025 — a grim statistic that corresponds with a marked decrease in the number of battles the ADF has had to fight with regional security forces.

While still in the early stages of implementation, Rwanda and the DRC signed a peace deal last month in which Rwanda agreed to withdraw its forces from eastern DRC. Under the agreement, the two countries also agreed to launch a joint security framework within 30 days. Other elements of the deal include provisions for economic cooperation and U.S. access to mineral rights in the DRC. While the M23 militant group is known to operate under the auspices of the Rwandan government, it has previously stated that it does not consider itself bound by any deal signed by the Rwandan government. Should the deal be fully implemented, the withdrawal of thousands of Rwandan troops — which have long provided substantial support to the M23 — will certainly present difficulties for the M23. Still, the group has continued its territorial advances in the days since the deal was signed and continues to hold the territory it has already gained.

U.N. peacekeepers in the country are working to protect hundreds of thousands of displaced persons, but have experienced increasing difficulty in executing their mission because of rebel advances. The U.N. mission has become increasingly unpopular with Congolese government leaders in recent years. In December 2023, the U.N. Security Council approved the withdrawal after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi requested a fast-tracked drawdown several months earlier. The U.N. mission, known as MONUSCO, began withdrawing from the country in February 2024. MONUSCO has been operating in the country for more than 13 years and, before the drawdown, had nearly 18,000 personnel, including about 14,000 armed troops. Recent terrorist victories seem to be partially a result of the power vacuum left by the forced U.N. withdrawal.

Should the recent deal reduce the M23’s effectiveness, regional security forces may be able to devote more attention to the ADF. In the meantime, however, the ADF seems poised to continue its radical Islamist campaign against the DRC’s Christian-majority population.

Fulani militants kill pastor and church member in Katsina church attack 

Armed Fulani militants stormed a late-night Christian worship service in the village of Yaribori in Kafur County, Katsina state, killing a pastor and a visiting congregant and abducting a woman.

“Reverend Emmanuel Na’allah, pastor of Bege Baptist Church, and Mallam Samaila Gidan Taro, a convert to Christianity, were shot dead at the altar during a fellowship service on Monday night, July 7,” TruthNigeria reported. “A yet-unidentified woman was abducted by the assailants, who rode into the village on motorcycles, reportedly shouting Islamic slogans.” The attack is the latest in a string of targeted assaults against Christian clergy and congregations across Nigeria. Data compiled by an International Christian Concern (ICC) staffer indicates that at least 63 Christian pastors and church leaders have been killed, and 89 others abducted throughout Nigeria since January 2023.

Residents of Yaribori, a farming community roughly 40 miles south of Katsina city, said the attackers — numbering between 15 and 20 — targeted the church alone and spared nearby Muslim homes and mosques. “They came in shouting, ‘Allahu Akbar,’ and ‘Death to infidels,’” said Emmanuel Dauda, a witness. “The pastor told us to stay calm and hide, but they reached him first.” Another eyewitness added, “Reverend Na’allah stood before the pulpit and tried to reason with them. They shot him without hesitation.”

Reverend Na’allah was known for advocating peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in the region. Locals said he had previously received threats from suspected extremists but continued his ministry without security protection. “He worked with everyone, even Muslim youth,” said Musa Likita, a local farmer. “He never stopped preaching peace.” The second victim, Mallam Samaila Gidan Taro, was among the earliest Christian converts in the village. Although he retained his Muslim name, locals said he was an active church member and had dedicated himself to reconciliation efforts in Yaribori.

While Yaribori is majority-Muslim, roughly 40 percent of its residents identify as Christian. The village hosts several Christian congregations, including ECWA, COCIN, HEKAN, Methodist, and Catholic churches.

Katsina state, the home state of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has experienced an uptick in religiously targeted violence during the past three years. In 2022, Catholic priests were kidnapped in Kafur. In 2023, 25 worshippers were abducted during a service in Kankara. And in 2024, mobs looted churches in Daura and Katsina city.

Security forces have yet to issue a statement on the Yaribori attack. No arrests were made at the time of this report. Local church leaders are praying for the return of those abducted.

Legislator puts bounty on evangelists in India

A legislator belonging to the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party ruling Maharashtra state in India, put out a bounty on evangelists who allegedly visit villages for proselytization. In a public speech, BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Gopichand Padalkar allegedly put a rate card for killings of different kinds of Christians, the highest amount being for pastors.

Padalkar allegedly made the speech after a 28-year-old woman, who was four months pregnant, died by suicide in Sangli district of Maharashtra because of an alleged demand for dowry from in-laws and pressure to practice Christianity. The announcement of the cash reward has sparked outrage among the Christian community.

Christian communities in various towns and cities across Maharashtra have held protests demanding that a police case be registered against the MLA for inciting violence and spreading hatred through Padalkar’s speech. Protesters also demanded that Padalkar be immediately expelled from the Maharashtra Legislative Council, adding that such individuals have no place in a democratic institution that upholds secular values.

In Jalna town, protesters led by prominent Christian leaders submitted a memorandum to the district collector, requesting action against the legislator.

In Nagpur city, a delegation from the Nagpur City United Churches Forum, comprising MLA Vikas Thakre, Father Sanjay Kotchade, Bishop Satish Yangad, Rev. Suresh Godbole, and others, submitted a memorandum of various demands to Police Commissioner Ravindra Singal. The memorandum included a demand to immediately register an FIR against Padalkar for placing a bounty on Christians and making unconstitutional statements against the Christian community.

Hate speeches against religious minorities in India, particularly those targeting Christians and Muslims, have become tools in the hands of political leaders since the BJP came to power at the federal level in 2014.

India has recorded at least 947 hate-related incidents between June 2024 and June 2025. Out of this, 345 hate speeches overwhelmingly targeted Muslim and Christian communities. The findings of this alarming data, compiled jointly by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) and the Quill Foundation, were released on June 27.

News provided by International Christian Concern. To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom.