The ongoing slaughter has gotten the attention of the Trump administration after years of being shrugged off during Joe Biden’s presidency. In October of last year, Trump’s Department of State redesignated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern. Months later, on Christmas Day, the U.S. military struck ISIS-linked targets in northern Nigeria with 16 Tomahawk missiles after the country’s government requested the assistance.
The ongoing slaughter has gotten the attention of the Trump administration after years of being shrugged off during Joe Biden’s presidency. In October of last year, Trump’s Department of State redesignated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern. Months later, on Christmas Day, the U.S. military struck ISIS-linked targets in northern Nigeria with 16 Tomahawk missiles after the country’s government requested the assistance.
Nigerian officials said that 163 worshippers were kidnapped on Sunday when heavily armed bandits raided at least two churches during services. The abductions reportedly occurred in a rural Christian community in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna state in north-central Nigeria.
Open Doors International, which has been ranking countries since 1993 based on reports of violence against Christians, released its 2026 World Watch List on Jan. 14. Open Doors CEO Ryan Brown said that 388 million Christians live in regions of the world where they are highly susceptible to persecution for their faith. “The enemy is seeking to attack that which is advancing. … As those numbers increase, it shows that the enemy is working even harder to try to squelch the Church.”
The Islamic State has warned Nigerian Christians that they can “spare their blood” by renouncing their faith in Christ, according to a social media post from a West Virginia congressman and a Jan. 8 news report.
Those speaking out against these atrocities are concerned over the lack of coverage by prominent news sources and attention from political leaders around the world. Some have attributed the removal of nations, such as Nigeria, from the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria as global measures that would have otherwise kept pressure on entities that severely violate international religious freedom.
Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications for Christian Solidarity International, said politics often taints the CPC list. Nigeria was on the list during Trump’s first term, but the Biden administration removed it. “It’s one of the most egregious omissions,” Veldkamp told CBN News. “More Christians are killed in Nigeria for their faith every year than in the rest of the world combined.”
As to the full breadth of the scandal, “we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg so far,” Adams emphasized. “But Americans can have confidence that we’re going to uncover the size and magnitude of this, and we’re going to do everything we can to return those dollars back to hard working Americans.”
At least eight people, all residents of the predominantly Christian Bum community in Chugwi, Vwang District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria, have been confirmed dead following a late-night armed attack.
Trump said the strikes were ordered to halt the ongoing targeting of Christian civilians, warning that the United States would not stand by amid what he described as escalating violence against believers. In a post on Truth Social, the president said the U.S. had launched “powerful and deadly” strikes against ISIS militants who have been “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.”
There’s a genocide happening in Nigeria. While this may sound sensationalized, it’s a sober reality backed by years of data, eyewitness testimony, and independent documentation. While Christians are being slaughtered, abducted, and displaced, another war has just begun. It’s a war of propaganda intent on convincing the world that nothing out of the ordinary is happening.
Although the RSF and SAF are in conflict with each other, they have a common enemy in Christians, whom they do not see as fitting their Islamic vision for Sudan. Churches have been targeted by both the RSF and SAF. Christians have been denied food aid and told, “Unless you leave your Christianity, no food for you.” They, along with all the other people of Sudan caught in the crossfire, are the true victims here.
Sudan’s military rulers have quietly offered Russia its first-ever African naval base—an arrangement that would hand the Kremlin a powerful strategic foothold over the Red Sea, one of the world’s most critical and contested trade arteries—according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive.
“We praise God that no one was seriously injured, and we are grateful to the security forces for their support and swift action on the ground to resolve the situation and bring a safe outcome,” stated Samaritan’s Purse.
The Trump administration on Wednesday unveiled sweeping new visa restrictions aimed at foreign nationals implicated in the surge of brutal anti-Christian violence in Nigeria–marking one of Washington’s strongest responses yet to what U.S. officials describe as escalating religious persecution in Africa’s most populous nation.
President Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over the systematic persecution of Christians is a welcome and much-needed step to protect religious freedom.
The continuing violence has led the U.S. State Department to once again designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. In announcing the move, President Donald Trump said Nov. 1 that if the Nigerian government fails to crack down on the killing of Christians, the U.S. military will be prepared to take military action to wipe out the Islamic terrorists committing the atrocities.
ADF rebels attacked the Byambwe Reference Health Center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Christian-majority Lubero territory early Saturday morning, executing at least 18 patients in their hospital beds.
The first was the largely underreported, if not unreported, news in the mainstream media about the horrific slaughtering of Christians in the country of Nigeria. The second event was the result of the mayoral election in New York City, where Democratic Socialist and Muslim adherent, Zohran Mamdani, succeeded in his campaign to become the next leader of one of America’s largest cities, often viewed as the shining beacon of capitalism. While these two circumstances might seemingly appear unrelated, there exists one prominent point of connection that is shared by both – Islam.
“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” the president said on Truth Social.
“It is being reported that he was taken north to areas controlled by an offshoot of ISIS. The State Department said it is a top priority of the Trump Administration to look after the safety of every American, and they are supporting his recovery and safe return. Would you pray for his protection and that he will be released unharmed and able to come home?”
“Senator Cruz’s comments clearly struck a nerve with the Nigerian government, and they should. The Nigerian government should be deeply ashamed of the way they have negligently refused to protect Christian communities from repeated attacks by radical Islamists who burn entire villages and kill innocent Christians in the middle of the night. This is an ongoing travesty, and one that I’m so glad Senator Cruz is trying to address."
The chilling attacks, announced by the militant group through photos and statements, draw attention to the growing persecution of Christians in Mozambique, as the Islamic militant group advocates for the killing of Christians and pushes farther south in the country.
Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF International) reported that a man the organization calls “David” (a pseudonym used to protect his identity) helped two women move to a safer area after they converted to Christianity. Islamist militants detained David, a church leader, as well as another church leader involved in the relocation, and tortured them. After they were handed to the police.
ADF has been connected with over 80 deaths within the last two weeks, the UN peacekeeping mission and local media reports. One 2025 ADF attack involved the slaughter of 70 Christians. The group rounded them into a church and killed them with machetes or hammers. ADF originated in Uganda in the 1990s but moved to DRC in 2002, where it has killed thousands. In 2018, it established its affiliation with ISIS.
Many Nigerian Christians feel this chronic cycle of violence and impunity is all by design, and that their country has people in high places who have a vested interest in letting the cycle continue. “The Nigerian security forces, especially the military and police crack squads (special operations units), are the greatest problem facing the country’s Christians.”
A renewed wave of violence swept through two Christian villages in Taraba state, leaving more than 40 Christians dead and dozens displaced in what survivors describe as a “silent slaughter.” The attacks, carried out early Saturday morning, targeted the villages of Munga Lelau and Magami in Karim-Lamido County. Entire families were killed, and numerous homes were set ablaze. Survivors were forced to flee with nothing.
There was a time when the week leading up to Easter would spark reverence and reflection throughout the Judeo-Christian Western world. It's the most important week on the Christian calendar, starting with Palm Sunday. Therefore, it was very instructive to see how prominent left-wing figures across the West spent this Palm Sunday weekend.
The explosive was planted at the front doors of a building belonging to a Dutch Christian organization (Christenen voor Israel), which seeks to stand “in solidarity with Israel and combat all forms of antisemitism.” While the attack sparked outrage among officials in the nation, the most pointed comments came from the Israeli Ambassador to the Netherlands. “First, Jews were intimidated and attacked in the Netherlands. Now Christians who support Israel are being targeted too.”
The mother of a girl who tried to become a boy told me that the doctor said to her when she opposed the treatment, ‘Would you rather a dead daughter or a live son?’ Parents across Australia have been told the same thing when sharing their concerns regarding their child’s desired gender treatment. They have been manipulated into believing that they have no real choice.
Five months after dozens of members of a house church in China were arrested by Xi Jinping’s communist regime, reports have surfaced that Beijing is ratcheting up its persecution of the group of Christians by revoking and suspending the legal licenses of the attorneys attempting to defend them.
Jonathan’s arrest is an indicator not only of the government’s crackdown on freedom activists but also on religion. According to a report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the Cuban government is targeting the children of parents who are involved in religious activities not sanctioned by the Communist Party.
The Islamic State has warned Nigerian Christians that they can “spare their blood” by renouncing their faith in Christ, according to a social media post from a West Virginia congressman and a Jan. 8 news report.
Those speaking out against these atrocities are concerned over the lack of coverage by prominent news sources and attention from political leaders around the world. Some have attributed the removal of nations, such as Nigeria, from the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria as global measures that would have otherwise kept pressure on entities that severely violate international religious freedom.
Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications for Christian Solidarity International, said politics often taints the CPC list. Nigeria was on the list during Trump’s first term, but the Biden administration removed it. “It’s one of the most egregious omissions,” Veldkamp told CBN News. “More Christians are killed in Nigeria for their faith every year than in the rest of the world combined.”
As to the full breadth of the scandal, “we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg so far,” Adams emphasized. “But Americans can have confidence that we’re going to uncover the size and magnitude of this, and we’re going to do everything we can to return those dollars back to hard working Americans.”
At least eight people, all residents of the predominantly Christian Bum community in Chugwi, Vwang District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria, have been confirmed dead following a late-night armed attack.
Trump said the strikes were ordered to halt the ongoing targeting of Christian civilians, warning that the United States would not stand by amid what he described as escalating violence against believers. In a post on Truth Social, the president said the U.S. had launched “powerful and deadly” strikes against ISIS militants who have been “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.”
There’s a genocide happening in Nigeria. While this may sound sensationalized, it’s a sober reality backed by years of data, eyewitness testimony, and independent documentation. While Christians are being slaughtered, abducted, and displaced, another war has just begun. It’s a war of propaganda intent on convincing the world that nothing out of the ordinary is happening.
Although the RSF and SAF are in conflict with each other, they have a common enemy in Christians, whom they do not see as fitting their Islamic vision for Sudan. Churches have been targeted by both the RSF and SAF. Christians have been denied food aid and told, “Unless you leave your Christianity, no food for you.” They, along with all the other people of Sudan caught in the crossfire, are the true victims here.
Sudan’s military rulers have quietly offered Russia its first-ever African naval base—an arrangement that would hand the Kremlin a powerful strategic foothold over the Red Sea, one of the world’s most critical and contested trade arteries—according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive.
“We praise God that no one was seriously injured, and we are grateful to the security forces for their support and swift action on the ground to resolve the situation and bring a safe outcome,” stated Samaritan’s Purse.
The Trump administration on Wednesday unveiled sweeping new visa restrictions aimed at foreign nationals implicated in the surge of brutal anti-Christian violence in Nigeria–marking one of Washington’s strongest responses yet to what U.S. officials describe as escalating religious persecution in Africa’s most populous nation.
President Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over the systematic persecution of Christians is a welcome and much-needed step to protect religious freedom.
The continuing violence has led the U.S. State Department to once again designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. In announcing the move, President Donald Trump said Nov. 1 that if the Nigerian government fails to crack down on the killing of Christians, the U.S. military will be prepared to take military action to wipe out the Islamic terrorists committing the atrocities.
ADF rebels attacked the Byambwe Reference Health Center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Christian-majority Lubero territory early Saturday morning, executing at least 18 patients in their hospital beds.
The first was the largely underreported, if not unreported, news in the mainstream media about the horrific slaughtering of Christians in the country of Nigeria. The second event was the result of the mayoral election in New York City, where Democratic Socialist and Muslim adherent, Zohran Mamdani, succeeded in his campaign to become the next leader of one of America’s largest cities, often viewed as the shining beacon of capitalism. While these two circumstances might seemingly appear unrelated, there exists one prominent point of connection that is shared by both – Islam.
“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” the president said on Truth Social.
“It is being reported that he was taken north to areas controlled by an offshoot of ISIS. The State Department said it is a top priority of the Trump Administration to look after the safety of every American, and they are supporting his recovery and safe return. Would you pray for his protection and that he will be released unharmed and able to come home?”
“Senator Cruz’s comments clearly struck a nerve with the Nigerian government, and they should. The Nigerian government should be deeply ashamed of the way they have negligently refused to protect Christian communities from repeated attacks by radical Islamists who burn entire villages and kill innocent Christians in the middle of the night. This is an ongoing travesty, and one that I’m so glad Senator Cruz is trying to address."
The chilling attacks, announced by the militant group through photos and statements, draw attention to the growing persecution of Christians in Mozambique, as the Islamic militant group advocates for the killing of Christians and pushes farther south in the country.
Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF International) reported that a man the organization calls “David” (a pseudonym used to protect his identity) helped two women move to a safer area after they converted to Christianity. Islamist militants detained David, a church leader, as well as another church leader involved in the relocation, and tortured them. After they were handed to the police.
ADF has been connected with over 80 deaths within the last two weeks, the UN peacekeeping mission and local media reports. One 2025 ADF attack involved the slaughter of 70 Christians. The group rounded them into a church and killed them with machetes or hammers. ADF originated in Uganda in the 1990s but moved to DRC in 2002, where it has killed thousands. In 2018, it established its affiliation with ISIS.
Many Nigerian Christians feel this chronic cycle of violence and impunity is all by design, and that their country has people in high places who have a vested interest in letting the cycle continue. “The Nigerian security forces, especially the military and police crack squads (special operations units), are the greatest problem facing the country’s Christians.”
A renewed wave of violence swept through two Christian villages in Taraba state, leaving more than 40 Christians dead and dozens displaced in what survivors describe as a “silent slaughter.” The attacks, carried out early Saturday morning, targeted the villages of Munga Lelau and Magami in Karim-Lamido County. Entire families were killed, and numerous homes were set ablaze. Survivors were forced to flee with nothing.
You would think it’s hard to overlook the religious motivation of a massacre when the victims are all Christian and the massacre takes place on Christmas, Palm Sunday, or Easter. But many people who work in media have proven themselves almost uncannily adept at avoiding the religious motivation behind such violence.
Make no mistake: While the geographic caliphate of ISIS has been destroyed, its ideology lives on. These groups have developed sophisticated recruitment strategies that use social media to radicalize predominantly young men around the world, including inside the United States.
The gang members who took the 45-year-old pastor at gunpoint from the church he planted in South Africa in 2018 were demanding a ransom. That's when South Africa's elite police unit, known as the Hawks, responded with tactical precision. Three of Sullivan's captors were shot dead trying to escape in a vehicle with Sullivan.
When he was living under the communist regime as a teenager and young adult, Abebe said that he could never imagine Meskel Square overflowing with hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians singing praises to God. “Now we can worship in this area,” he said. “This is a great victory..."
“Open Doors strongly condemns this heinous act of violence against civilians and calls upon civil societies, governments, and international organisations to prioritise civilian protection in eastern DRC where armed groups, such as the ADF, are operating.”
In 2024, 4,476 Christians were murdered around the globe because of their beliefs. Another 4,744 were imprisoned. Those numbers are reported by Open Doors—a global ministry dedicated to serving persecuted believers—which has released its 2025 World Watch List.
The data report records that of the Christians killed for their faith in 2024, 82% of them were in Nigeria. More Christians are killed in Nigeria than in all other countries combined. Yet, the Biden State Department in 2021 withdrew Nigeria from the Countries of Particular Concern list, a record of countries that severely infringe upon religious freedom.
“The United States and the international community must take a strong stand against the unlawful church closures and unjustified arrests and imprisonments of pastors.”
“We have understood that the objective of the ADF [militants] is to convert everyone into a Muslim and this is a persecution of a great level,” local Pastor Kambale Aristote said. “We ask all Christians to continue to intercede for us.”
“Both the victims of persecution in Nigeria and international religious freedom advocates have been crying out for years for the U.S. to take a greater response to the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria and the increasing and devastating use of blasphemy laws and allegations.”
“Since it is clear that the State Department will not take significant action over the terrible religious freedom conditions in Nigeria, it is vital that Congress makes its voice heard.”
“Whether the world acknowledges the plight of Nigerian Christians or not, the country has become a burial ground for Christians,” ICC’s report states. “Nigeria is a country torn by violence."
The nations are shaking out just as we would expect them to be shaking out. These events in Ezekiel 38 are imminent and will happen soon. We need to keep our eyes on what's happening.
The killing was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented. Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another.
On May 12, a young female student -- Deborah Samuel -- in Sokoto, Nigeria was beaten to death and burned to ashes for praising Jesus on a WhatsApp group chat site.