(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA)

President Donald Trump announced the change via social media on Friday. The designation is long overdue. Islamic extremists and Fulani militants have killed thousands of Christians in recent years. Hours after Trump’s announcement, armed militants attacked two communities in central Nigeria, killing least 17 Christians.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA explains what the CPC designation means. “It gives the [U.S.] administration a pretty big toolbox of possible options that they can bring to bear — both carrots and sticks — to try to move a government towards better protection of religious freedom,” he says. 

Since Friday’s announcement, Trump has also threatened military action if the Nigerian government does not take meaningful steps to protect its citizens.

“It certainly raises a lot of questions about the future,” says Nettleton.  “What are the options and what would the effectiveness be of an attempt by the U.S. military to ensure religious freedom in northern Nigeria?”

Nigerian children. (Photo courtesy of Victor Nnakwe/Unsplash)

Nigeria’s government insists that it guarantees religious freedom. But years of inaction and ongoing attacks on Christians in northern Nigeria tell another story.

“Certainly, there’s an argument to be made that the Nigerian government has not done everything they could. So now designating them as a Country of Particular Concern sort of puts the government on notice as opposed to identifying different terrorist groups that are involved in the persecution of Christians,” Nettleton says. 

Some officials say that Nigeria’s violence comes from conflict over resources and are not religiously motivated. It’s a multilayered situation, but religion does play a part. Data compiled by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa showed that for every Muslim killed in Nigeria’s violence between October 2019 and September 2024, there were 2.4 Christians killed.

Nigeria (Stock photo courtesy fo Gracious Adebayo via Unsplash)

Please pray

“Nigeria is relatively evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. The vast majority of Muslims live in the northern part of the country. That’s where we see Christian persecution most of the time,” says Nettleton. 

“It’s important to understand the nuance of the country and the fact that there is this sort of dividing line, and most of the persecution is happening in the northern part of the country.” 

Let this renewed CPC designation move you to pray for Nigeria. Pray for more Saul-to-Paul conversions of Muslim extremists and Fulani herdsmen. 

“We need to pray for Christians in Nigeria. We need to pray for Christians in other countries around the world where they are persecuted,” says Nettleton. 

Learn more about Nigeria’s long-running crisis here.

Header photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs, USA.

If confirmed by the senate, former pastor Mark Walker will be working closely with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on issues recommended for closer scrutiny.

USCIRF released its annual report in late March, among other things recommending four new countries (Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Vietnam) be designated as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs).

“It will be interesting to see how this new administration receives these recommendations, and which ones they say, ‘Yep, that’s exactly right,’ and which ones they decide not to go along with,” says Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA.

(Image courtesy United States Commission on International Religious Freedom)

“Part of [the State Department’s] job is to talk about religious freedom. But they also, obviously, they want to keep trade relationships good. They want to keep military relationships good. So they kind of factor in a lot more angles into the equation.

“Ultimately, it is the State Department list that really matters as far as teeth, because if a country is identified as a Country of Particular Concern by the State Department, then the administration has a whole tool box of potential actions that would sort of try to nudge or encourage or force that Country of Particular Concern to improve their status on religious freedom.” 

But will recent cuts in USAID projects decrease the “carrot and stick” leverage the U.S. has with nations around the world?

“I think it’s going to be something that we have to kind of wait and see and then look backwards and say, ‘Oh, wow, that, that may have been an unintended consequence to decisions that were made in Washington, D.C.,’” says Nettleton. 

In the meantime, Nettleton notes something else USCIRF’s 2025 report hints at.  

“When you see four countries recommended to be added to the CPC list, [and] you don’t see any countries recommended to be taken off of the CPC list, it does tend to support that view that religious freedom is getting worse instead of getting better around the world,” he says. 

Learn how to pray for persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ with Voice of the Martyrs at persecution.com. There you’ll find a global prayer map where many of the U.S.’s designated Countries of Particular Concern are also listed. Click to learn more! 

“Educating yourself to be able to pray more effectively is a great way to stand with our brothers and sisters who suffer for the name of Jesus,” Nettleton says. 

Header photo courtesy of Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons – Department of State Sign – Harry S. Truman Building – Washington D.C., CC BY 2.0. 

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA (VOM) says, “That will be interesting. In some of those cases, there are trade relationships like India. In others, it has been confusing to me how Nigeria was not on the list previously. So we wait and see what the State Department does.

“Part of the State Department’s job is to talk about religious freedom. But they also, obviously, want to keep trade relationships good. They want to keep military relationships good. So they kind of factor in a lot more different angles into the equation.”

When it comes to the four nations recommended as CPCs by the USCIRF report, Nettleton explains, “In some of those cases, there are trade relationships — like India. In others, it’s been confusing to me how Nigeria was not on the list previously.”

(Photo courtesy of USCIRF)

Foreign governments have criticized America in the past for making religious freedom part of the conversation.

“These countries who are listed on this list…are saying, ‘This is none of your business. You need to take care of your country. We’ll take care of our country, and you don’t tell us what to do.’ That is the attitude.”

However, Nettleton points to the US International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. He explains, “Our government has actually passed a law to say, ‘No, it (religious freedom) is important. We are going to pay attention to it.’ I think it’s important for us as citizens to remind our government leaders that this is something we care about too.”

Now is a critical time for Christians to respond and prayerfully intercede for these nations.

Nettleton encourages, “The map that is printed in the USCIRF report is something that you can take and pray over. In all of these countries, we have Christian brothers and sisters who are paying a price for being bold witnesses for Christ.”

You can also find more prayer resources with VOM USA here.

Header photo courtesy of Arpit Rastogi/Unsplash.

Since 2022, USCIRF has recommended the State Department designate Afghanistan as a country of particular concern (CPC). Each year, the State Department fails to do so.

However, last year, the State Department did designate the Taliban as an entity of particular concern (EPC).

After the State Department’s 2023 decision, USCIRF released a statement criticizing the decision and pointed out that the State Department often highlights Afghanistan’s particularly severe religious freedom violations.

Earlier this month, USCIRF released its annual report with recommendations for 2024.

The Voice of the Martyrs USA’s Todd Nettleton points out, “The [2024] report calls for Afghanistan to be listed as a country of particular concern. It does not call for the Taliban to be listed as an entity of particular concern.”

(Photo courtesy of VOM Canada)

Although USCIRF stops short of recommending an EPC designation, it does at least call out the Taliban’s violations of religious freedom in its assessment of Afghanistan.

Still, is that enough?

“I wonder what the logic and the expectation is behind that,” says Nettleton.

“We know the Taliban is the government of Afghanistan. They’re running the country now. So, if you say the Taliban is bad, you are saying the Afghan government does not respect religious freedom, so I understand the logic of it. But I would be interested to hear their background and what the thinking was that went into that.”

The CPC and EPC designations are more than just arbitrary labels. Countries and entities on these lists from the State Department typically face stricter sanctions and political action from the US government, which can lead to positive changes for religious freedom.

Nettleton says, “I just would encourage people to pray for leaders…. These are recommendations. We wait now to see months from now what the State Department will do with these recommendations. But hopefully, it will be something that is a part of our foreign policy.”

Ask God to strengthen persecuted Afghan believers to continue following Christ. Pray that, no matter what happens on a political level, the Gospel will be unabashedly proclaimed to reach those seeking truth in Afghanistan.

Header photo courtesy of VOM USA.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA (VOM) says, “Religious freedom, for many people, is kind of a ‘page 27 issue’ instead of a ‘page one issue.’ So…unfortunately, it doesn’t get the media attention that other issues do.”

Still, there is a lot to unpack in USCIRF’s latest report.

Along with the recommendation to redesignate 12 countries of particular concern, the religious freedom watchdog also recommends an additional five countries as CPCs — Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

“Later this year, the State Department will be the one who actually issues the list of countries of particular concern and the special watch list and entities of particular concern.”

(Photo courtesy of VOM USA)

The big question now is: Will the US State Department adopt these recommendations?

Nettleton explains, “The thing about it is the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, they have one issue. They have one priority: Religious freedom.

“When you come to the State Department, religious freedom is one of many priorities. They want to talk about trade. They want to talk about countries we’re in conflict with. We want to get other countries to help us. So can we really afford to call them out and embarrass them on religious freedom?”

This complex political reality is why the State Department sometimes does not adopt USCIRF’s recommendations to designate certain countries as CPCs.

“As someone who cares about religious freedom, I would say that’s unfortunate,” says Nettleton. “I wish the State Department did put more priority on the issue of religious freedom.”

As Christians, we can pray over this list of recommendations in the USCIRF report. Pray for both the persecuted Christians to be spiritually encouraged in their Gospel witness, and for persecutors to have their eyes opened to the glory of Jesus Christ (like the biblical example of the Apostle Paul.)

(Photo courtesy of VOM Canada)

Also, Nettleton says, “I think the key is to pray for wisdom for leaders as they are making decisions – and I think particularly at the State Department where there are multiple competing priorities, to have discernment and to have wisdom to bring about the best possible outcomes.”

Finally, pray for greater religious freedoms to see the Gospel proclaimed around the world!

Learn more about how VOM supports persecuted Christians.

Header photo courtesy of Aaron Burden/Unsplash.

USCIRF makes recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s promotion of freedom of religion or belief abroad. In this case, 17 countries earned the recommendation of inclusion as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) based on their governments permitting violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief. Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan were on the 2023 CPC list, and they are joined by Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Nigeria, and Vietnam this year.

Among other recommendations, USCIRF added another category in 2016 for non-state actors that engage in severe religious freedom violations and meet certain other factors.  These are called Entities of Particular Concern (EPCs).  In 2023, the State Department designated the following as EPCs: al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Houthis, Islamic State Sahel Province (I.S. Sahel), Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) (also referred to as ISIS-West Africa), and Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).

What do the recommendations do?   As the report describes and assesses U.S. international religious freedom policy overall, the recommendations advise the State Department on a response, such as sanctions.

It’s not news

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA)

In 2021, the State Department took Nigeria off the CPC list, much to the dismay of those watching the unfolding situation in the north of the country.  Since then, Boko Haram and ISWAP have increased the frequency of their attacks. Todd Nettleton, spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs USA, says it’s a sad commentary on what is happening in the country.  “When there is an attack, or when a pastor is killed, or a church is destroyed, it’s not news, because it is just what we expected: ‘That’s what happens in northern Nigeria.'”

Christians have been targets of ISWAP and Boko Haram for years.  Fulani militants also began a systematic campaign to rid the region of Christians. In 2014, the militia was named the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the world by the Global Terrorism Index.

Frustration mounts

The plight of the Christians isn’t lost on Nigerians.  In late April, Plateau State University students clashed with the military as they were protesting the lack of protection for a Christian-majority area, an area recently attacked by the Fulani. Nettleton says, “Many in the population are quite educated; they are online. They see how the rest of the world is living. They see that it doesn’t have to be this way. ‘We don’t have to fight each other. We don’t have to be scared when we go to a mosque or a church. We want something different.'”

But God…

Every election seems to have religious freedom at the heart of the debate, coming in under the heading of “terrorism.” The frustration is that “Every new leader in Nigeria says, ‘I’m going to get a handle on this. I’m the guy who can solve this problem. I’m the guy who can stop Boko Haram, can stop the terrorist attacks,'” says Nettleton, observing, “It seems like once they get an office, that suddenly is not such a high priority, or they realize, ‘I can’t stop this.'”

(Photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs USA)

However, God is sovereign. To that end, “I think praying for government leaders; praying for them to have wisdom to know how to respond to some of these challenges and how to enact change.”

Meanwhile, mass kidnappings and violent attacks continue throughout the country.  For Christians in Nigeria, the pressure proves their character. “I think of so many pastors that Voice of the Martyrs is working within northern Nigeria. Many of them send their families further south to be safe.” Yet Nettleton says the pastors themselves remain.  “They continue to say, ‘This is where God has called me. This is where I’m going to serve.’   I think of those brothers and sisters, and I hope we would pray for them as well.”

Header photo courtesy of USCIRF.

In response, USCIRF has called for a congressional hearing to express its “extreme disappointment” over the State Department’s lackluster censorship of the two countries.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “The interesting thing about this is that [USCIRF] is publicly questioning the State Department on, ‘Hey, why don’t you agree with us? Why didn’t you follow our advice?’ That is something that we haven’t seen a lot of in the past, where they’re really publicly saying, ‘Hey, you got it wrong. You need to change your mind.’”

Nearly all Christians in northeastern Nigeria have lost family members in attacks by Boko Haram or Fulani Islamic militants.
(Photo courtesy of VOM USA)

The failure to designate Nigeria as a CPC comes on the heels of recent extremist attacks over Christmas that killed hundreds of Nigerian Christians. India also continues to see an increase in persecution of Indian Christians, Muslims, and religious minorities.

“I think one of the things that we can do is educate ourselves about what is happening in places like Nigeria, in places like India,…and in other countries that are affected by these reports,” says Nettleton.

“As we educate ourselves, we can help our elected officials [see], ‘No, this is something we care about, and you need to understand what’s happening on the ground in these countries.’”

Please pray for justice.

Nettleton also asks, “Pray that even in these attacks, even in these persecution instances, there will be opportunities to be a witness for Christ.”

Header photo courtesy of Mike Stoll/Unsplash.

“Every year, we put together a prayer map where Christians are persecuted, and all of these countries are on the prayer map,” Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says.

VOM’s compilation helps believers like you and me pray for and support our Christian brothers and sisters. Why does the U.S. government make a religious freedom list?

“The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom makes recommendations to the State Department about what to do [with] religious freedom violators – what countries should be designated Countries of Particular Concern, what types of sanctions those countries should face, [etc.],” Nettleton explains.

In theory, religious freedom drives U.S. foreign policy.

“Former U.S. Ambassador for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback talked about religious freedom as the first freedom. That’s where other freedoms begin; the freedom to choose what you believe,” Nettleton says.

However, putting theory into practice depends on who’s in charge. “Religious freedom was a more significant issue during the Trump administration than during the Biden administration,” Nettleton says.

“That kind of tone-setting comes down from the top; they (current government officials) don’t make as much noise about it as administrations that prioritize religious freedom.”

Former Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Ambassador-At-Large for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback at the International Religious Freedom Alliance dinner at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., on February 5, 2020. [State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]

State Department enactment also varies by foreign affairs priorities. “They never take (implement) all of the [USCIRF] recommendations,” Nettleton says.

“The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has one focus: promoting religious freedom worldwide. The State Department [has] other focuses; they have to maintain relationships with these countries. For instance, countries working with us against terrorism – do we want to offend them by calling out their religious freedom [violations]?”

Ask the Lord to use human endeavors to accomplish His purposes. Pray that persecuted Christians will trust God to work all things for their good.

If you live in the United States, “one of the ways to engage as you’re praying is to be sure that your government representatives know religious freedom is an issue you pay attention to,” Nettleton adds.

Find your elected officials here and share this story with them.

“They work for us as voters. We need to let them know, ‘This is a priority to me; I want to see religious minorities protected. I want to see religious freedom be a part of U.S. foreign policy.’”

Header image depicts a religious freedom statue in Virginia. (Image courtesy KG Hawes via Flickr)

“There were surprises” in this year’s list, Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says.

“Nigeria and India were not given CPC designations, something the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has responded to. Frankly, I find it even more surprising that Afghanistan was not given a CPC designation; the government is the Taliban.”

The USCIRF issued a strongly-worded press release condemning India and Nigeria’s exclusion from the CPC list:

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) finds it inexplicable that the U.S. Department of State did not include Nigeria or India in its latest designations of “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs) under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), turning a blind eye to both countries’ particularly severe religious freedom violations.

Announced last Friday, the list’s release barely made a blip on the U.S. news radar.

“It seems like they (the State Department) did this in a way to generate minimum press coverage. It was like a ‘news dump’ on a Friday afternoon: ‘hey, we’re putting out this report. Good luck. Have a great weekend,’” Nettleton says.

“In past years, there has been a press conference, and the Secretary of State has taken questions about religious freedom.”

Theoretically, CPC designations are a foreign policy tool. “It opens the door for sanctions or some real teeth to be put into some of these [foreign policy] decisions,” Nettleton says.

“But most administrations have been hesitant to use all of those tools.”

Whether politicians use the CPC list or not, you can use it to pray. “We need to make sure we’re not just seeing this as a list of countries on a paper, but a list of places where we have brothers and sisters who are suffering because of the oppression their governments have against Christianity,” Nettleton says.

“Places like Burma and Eritrea, where dozens of Christians are currently in prison. There are places like North Korea, where even having a Bible can get you executed by the government.”

See the full 2022 CPC list here.

Header image depicts ‘Religious Liberty”, a statue commissioned by B’nai B’rith and dedicated in 1876 to “the people of the United States” as an expression of support for the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. (Wikimedia Commons)

Voice of the Martyrs USA spokesman Todd Nettleton says it could lead to sanctions. “That wasn’t announced as a part of the designation, so we don’t know what actions the State Department and the U.S. government will take going forward,” he clarifies.

“But some of those things, like sanctions, weren’t in play before this designation was made.”

On Tuesday, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel D. Brownback answered questions about the 2020 designations in a special briefing. Regarding Nigeria, Brownback said:

The Secretary has great concern about what’s taking place in Nigeria at this time. A number of terrorist groups are organizing and pushing into the country. We’re seeing a lot of religious-tinged violence taking place in that country and indeed in West Africa. It’s an area of growing concern about what’s happening, in particular the tension between religious groups… religious affiliation is [often] used to try to recruit and inspire violent acts.

Pray for Nigeria

Last year, officials moved Nigeria to the Special Watch List. Nettleton says this week’s CPC designation was a long time coming. See our coverage of Nigeria’s persecution here.

“It is something that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended every year since 2009 so I don’t necessarily think it comes as a surprise, but it’s interesting in several respects,” Nettleton notes.

“It is likely to be the last [CPC] list under the Trump administration. I wonder if putting Nigeria on the list was a way to ‘put a marker in place’ [as] hey, this is something the world needs to pay attention to.”

Use the prompts listed alongside this article to guide your intercession, or use this prayer resource from VOM.

(Graphic courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA)

“When we see that Nigeria is now a country of particular concern, hopefully that raises a flag on our prayer list that says, hey, I need to pray for my brothers and sisters in Nigeria because they are facing more pressure; they’re facing more threats,” Nettleton says.

If you’re reading this in the U.S., consider contacting your elected officials. Find your representative here and use the buttons below to share this article with them.

“Especially as we think about a transition in government, we need them to know religious freedom is something as voters that we pay attention to, that we’re watching,” Nettleton notes.

“The government, at least in theory, works for us so we need to let them know this is a priority.”

Header image courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA.