Persecution of Christians is rising in sub-Saharan Africa, threatening a “vast humanitarian catastrophe” for the continent, a support group for victimized Christians said Tuesday.
Open Doors, a non-denominational mission that aids persecuted Christians worldwide, released Tuesday its 30th annual “World Watch List,” which details anti-Christian attacks around the world.
It said that religiously motivated violence that has been “nurtured” in Nigeria and is increasing in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali and Niger, “has swept across the region.” Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo have seen “signs of jihadist expansion” as well, Open Doors said.
Overall, the number of Christians under “high” levels of persecution has risen to 360 million, or 1 out of every 7 Christians worldwide, Open Doors said. The number of nations where Christians endure persecution has nearly doubled from 40 in 1993 to 76 today.
“I think even we were shocked by our own numbers,” Lisa Pearce, interim CEO of Open Doors U.S., said in an interview. “Seven out of 10 countries where there is the greatest violence against Christians are in sub-Saharan Africa. Violence can mean killings and a large percentage of those who were killed for their faith in the last year were in Africa, but it can also mean rape, it can mean abduction, it can be the destruction of property.”
North Korea returned to the top of the annual ranking of nations attacking believers, with reports of increased violence under the totalitarian regime’s new “anti-reactionary thought” law, which criminalized the Bible and any published materials of foreign origin, the group said.
Open Doors said China “has clamped down further on Christians” in the past year and “is forging a network of nations seeking to redefine human rights” without regard to universal standards and religious freedoms. The communist nation also has increased surveillance of Christian and other religious communities, as well as imposed “sweeping new rules” on church use of the internet.
Afghanistan, which was ranked No. 1 on the 2022 watch list, fell to ninth place, largely due to the execution of Christians there after the 2021 Taliban takeover and the departure of survivors to other countries, the aid group said.
Wybo Nicolai, a former Open Doors global field director who created the “World Watch List” 30 years ago, told The Washington Times that even nations where Christians are in the majority can see attacks on believers.
“What has surprised me is the development in the past two years is the increase in violence in countries which are basically predominantly Christian, where the Muslims only make up a minority,” Mr. Nicolai said. “When you think of Mozambique, where 60% of the population is Christian, and less than 20% is [Muslim], or Cameroon, 69% Christian, 21% [Muslim], that has taken us by surprise, the intensity of the violence against Christians over there.”
He said nations in the industrialized Northern Hemisphere need to intervene.
“It’s in the direct interest of the United States and definitely the European countries to step into the situation,” he said. “Millions of Africans are on the run. We can expect many more trying to go north trying to flee to Europe. So helping these countries to get more stability will be a blessing for the nations in this part of the world as well.”
Open Doors said additional information on the “World Watch List” is online at www.opendoorsus.org.
Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the surname of Lisa Pearce, interim CEO of Open Doors U.S.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.
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