U.S. strikes in Nigeria and growing political pressure have focused renewed attention on a widening campaign of attacks against Christians across sub‑Saharan Africa. Humanitarian groups estimate more than 16 million people have been displaced. Reported atrocities in 2025 include mass kidnappings, village burnings and large‑scale killings in Nigeria, Sudan and Mozambique. Aid organizations and religious leaders warn military strikes alone cannot fix the decades‑long drivers of violence and urge long‑term political and humanitarian solutions.
U.S. Strikes Spotlight a Growing Crisis: Christians Face Wave Of Violence Across Sub‑Saharan Africa
Africa’s Christian Crisis: How 2025’s deadly attacks finally drew global attention after Trump’s intervention
Millions of Christians across sub‑Saharan Africa spent Christmas under the shadow of persecution, abduction, sexual violence and, in many cases, death amid a surge in militant Islamist attacks. Recent U.S. strikes on Islamic State‑linked militants in Nigeria — and public threats by President Donald Trump beforehand — have intensified global attention on a crisis humanitarians and religious leaders say has been escalating for years.
Widespread Displacement and Persistent Fear
Humanitarian groups estimate that more than 16 million people from Christian communities have been displaced across the region, uprooted from their homes by raids, village burnings and armed incursions. Reports that some 130 abducted schoolchildren in Nigeria were released this week provided relief to families, but did little to ease broader fears as communities attempted to observe the holidays.
Hotspots: Nigeria, Sudan, Mozambique
Nigeria has emerged as a primary flashpoint in 2025, with humanitarian organizations and local leaders documenting repeated kidnappings, mass killings, village burnings and sexual violence across the north and Middle Belt. Open Doors and other groups say attacks have included high‑casualty incidents, targeted assaults on churches and communities, and testimony from local bishops who have been threatened or have lost parishioners.
Members of St Leo Catholic Church hold a procession to mark Palm Sunday in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, on April 13, 2025.
Sudan also faces a dire situation: an estimated two million Christians — roughly 4% of the population — contend with chronic food shortages and the fallout from a prolonged civil war. Church leaders report discrimination and targeted violence amid the broader collapse of services and supply chains; residents in some areas say staples such as wheat and rice cannot reach them.
Mozambique has experienced intensifying violence in its northern provinces, where Islamic State‑affiliated militants have burned churches, destroyed homes and driven thousands from their communities, contributing to the country’s growing internal displacement crisis.
Voices On The Ground And International Reaction
Relief agencies and religious leaders, including the CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland, have warned of a "catastrophe of global proportions" and urged sustained international engagement. Open Doors’ Arise Africa campaign has sought to raise public awareness and political pressure to protect vulnerable communities.
Christians hold signs as they march on the streets of Abuja during a prayer and penance for peace and security in Nigeria in Abuja on March 1, 2020. The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria gathered faithful as well as other Christians and other people to pray for security and to denounce the barbaric killings of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom in Nigeria.
"A military operation is not a quick fix for decades of violence," said Henrietta Blyth of Open Doors, emphasizing the need for long‑term political solutions that secure civilian protection and religious freedom.
Religious and civic leaders have also decried the perceived lack of global outrage and called for coordinated humanitarian and policy responses. Some describe the violence as part of a broader transnational jihadist threat; others emphasize local drivers such as weak governance, competition over land and resources, and long‑standing grievances that militant groups exploit.
What Comes Next
Experts caution that while U.S. strikes and heightened congressional attention may bring short‑term disruption to militant operations, they will not by themselves resolve the complex political, economic and social conditions that allow extremist groups to flourish. Humanitarian organizations urge sustained international support for protection, accountability and development programs aimed at stabilizing affected communities.
As the region enters a new year, campaigners say the key test will be whether heightened international focus translates into durable commitments to protect civilians, restore services and address the root causes of violence.
