In what may feel like a repeat of last year, large parts of Africa kicked off 2022 facing violence, political unrest, poverty and hunger. Demonstrations in Sudan and a crackdown on protesters by security forces made headlines in local and…
International religious freedom group decries Biden administration letting Nigeria escape Countries of Particular Concern list
The nation’s top bipartisan watchdog for international religious freedom praised one addition by the U.S. State Department to its 2021 list of Countries of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations but expressed astonishment that another country was dropped from the…
With mass murders of Christians and persecutions of other religious minorities, should Nigeria be redesignated a Country of Particular Concern?
In the past six decades since gaining independence from Britain, Nigeria — Africa’s most populous country — has faced one crisis after the other that threatened to undermine its corporate existence. While the country was able each time to survive…
In Nigeria, this man is on a mission to promote peace
In the last couple of years, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has attracted national and international headlines for violence perpetrated by the terrorist group Boko Haram or other criminal elements within the country. Many of the incidents, particularly those relating…
Three female victims of Boko Haram terror graduate from U.S. colleges this spring
Three Nigerian students who once were kidnapped or had a family member killed by Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria have graduated from American universities this spring. Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu recently earned degrees from Southeastern University in Florida, while…
In Africa, some religious leaders pay a heavy price for their faith
The look on his face at the hospital bed where he was undergoing treatment showed a man who was recovering, happy and grateful to God to be alive. It was the opposite situation on Sunday, April 25, when an encounter…
With Idriss Déby gone, can Chad military win the war against terrorists and earn the trust of the people?
In the past couple of weeks since the passing of Chadian leader Idriss Déby, the country has become a subject of local and international discourse unlike anything people remember of the West African nation in recent decades. The discussions center…
Climate change is heating up the terrorist conflict in Africa’s Sahel region
In Africa’s Sahel region — the current hotbed of terrorist violence — climate change has become a leading cause of worsening conditions. Although Nigeria is not new to security challenges, some commentators in the country recently have linked the worrying…
U.S. agency calls for more religious freedom in Nigeria
Less than three months after being designated a Country of Particular Concern by the U.S. State Department over its religious record, Nigeria has again became the focus of another U.S. agency — the Commission on International Religious Freedom. A virtual…