(RNS) — In its annual list detailing countries of concern when it comes to persecution against Christians, the watchdog organization Open Doors International highlighted outbreaks of violence against sub-Saharan African Christians, where 16.2 million were forced out of their homes at the end of 2022.
The report, published at the beginning of every year, tracks discrimination and violence against Christians and ranks countries based on the severity of the threats faced by Christian communities there.
The 2024 list looks at attacks against Christians from October 2022 to September 2023 and is based on data collected by field workers, experts and persecution analysts.
This year’s report notes that violence against sub-Saharan African Christians, a long-term problem according to the organization, is the consequence of actions by autocratic regimes and jihadist groups.
“Christians are purposefully targeted or extra vulnerable in a continent that is beset by the twin problems of radical Islamic elements and increasingly autocratic regimes. This is the ever-growing threat for Christians south of the Sahara Desert and, if left unchecked, these twin pressures are expected to overwhelm them and force them out of their homes and villages,” wrote Frans Veerman, Open Doors World Watch Research’s managing director, in a statement.
More than 82% of Christians killed for their faith globally this year were in Nigeria, according to the organization, which has the country ranked as No. 6 on the 2024 list. Boko Haram, the jihadist group responsible for the abduction of 276 Christian schoolgirls in 2014, though still active has ceded power to the Sunni Islamic extremist group ISWAP, which has extended its influence into majority Christian southern Nigeria.
Violence against Christian communities is particularly concerning in the Plateau state of Nigeria, which has seen a rise in attacks against rural communities by armed gangs.
Voids in governance and security plague countries of the region and have given jihadist groups occasions to take control over certain areas, explained the report.
In Mali, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, which is there as an ally of the current military junta in power, has expanded its presence and made it harder for local Christian communities, per the list.
“Their influence has significantly stifled the civic space for Christians,” according to the organization.
The Wagner group, formerly run by President Vladimir Putin’s ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, until he died in 2023, was involved in several abuse cases conducted with the Malian army, according to Human Rights Watch. It is also present in other African countries — including Libya, Central African Republic, Sudan Faso—and has replaced other Western powers in the region.
Christians fear being associated with voices who criticized the presence of Wagner on the continent, according to Open Doors.
