Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says, “The Fulani [militias] would want to eradicate Christianity.”

The study shows that Fulani militias account for 44 percent of terror killings in Nigeria, more than Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) combined. A staggering 79,323 people died because of terror-related violence in Nigeria from 2019 to September 2025, an average of 36 people per day.

Representative photo of traditional African people groups. Image courtesy of Khalil Musa on Pexels.

Christians have been the disproportionate targets of these attacks. Read this article to learn more about the state of violence in Nigeria. 

“More people are killed for their faith in Jesus in northern Nigeria than the rest of the world combined. It has got to be a priority for the Body of Christ to realize what’s going on there,” Kelley says. 

The Fulani people trace their heritage back to the original Muslim missionaries in the region, Kelley says. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, and many are peaceful. Nigerian Fulani are 99 percent Muslim and are some of the hardest people to reach with the Gospel. But a few become champions for Jesus.

“When you meet a Fulani who has come to know Christ, they will be passionate about pursuing their people, because they love them in a different way than any of us could possibly love them,” Kelley says. 

Kelley also says that Nigeria’s 240 million people are not best thought of as one nation. Rather, we should think of them as part of a distinct people group, of which there are more than 530.

These disciples of Christ are passionately sharing God’s Word in North Eastern Nigeria.
(Image, caption courtesy of Unknown Nations)

“Instead of praying generically over Nigeria, we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers to the Fulani, to the Hausa, to the Kanuri. If every Christian said that prayer every day, we will see revival in northern Nigeria,” Kelley says.

Unknown Nations equips ministry leaders with solar-powered audio Bibles called Treasures to spread the Gospel to every tribe and people in Nigeria. 

“One people group in particular is called the Koma, who a number of years ago were considered unreached,” Kelley says. “Today, not only do they have a strong Christian presence, they are sending missionaries to neighboring people groups as well.”

Pray for an end to the violence against Christians from Fulani militia and other persecuting forces, and pray for the success of cross-cultural missions in Nigeria.

Header image courtesy of Unknown Nations

Saint was a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). On January 8, 1956, he and four fellow missionaries were killed on a jungle beach in Ecuador by the very tribe they were attempting to reach with the Gospel.

Gene with Nate, Shandia, 1955. (Photo, caption courtesy of Gene Jordan/MAF)

For Gene Jordan, a former MAF pilot who spent 22 years serving in Ecuador, the story is personal. Jordan’s parents were missionaries in Ecuador starting in 1951 with a different mission organization.

“My parents knew all the missionaries in those early days,” he says. “I have a picture of myself sitting on Nate’s knee in the little jungle station of Shandia where the Elliots worked. I don’t remember it; I was too young. But what I do remember is always knowing of Nate with an airplane serving other people in the jungle.”

As a teenager, Jordan spent his time at the MAF base in Shell, Ecuador, helping however he could — fueling and washing planes, loading cargo, and buckling in passengers.

(Photo, caption courtesy of Gene Jordan/MAF)

“I saw the difference the airplane made in the jungle communities. But more than that, I saw the impact and the effect that the pilots had in living out their faith and caring for people,” says Jordan.

“I decided this might be something that I could do, and I go back to the influence when I was young — of always knowing about MAF, knowing MAF pilots, seeing what they did, and the main one being Nate Saint because he was in Ecuador. I grew up with his kids and his widow, Aunt Marge. So it was always an influence in my life.”

Seven decades after the killings, it still echoes today – the faith legacy of these men, their widows, and a surrender to God’s will.

Jordan says, “When the five guys were killed on that day, the widows’ worlds fell apart. But…I never heard any of them say or write that they doubted that God was not in control.

“I have a letter that Elizabeth Elliot wrote my mom just a couple weeks after Jim was killed. In it, she says, ‘My house feels empty, but Jim died doing exactly what he felt God would have him do in the fullness of his manhood, and I cannot fault God for anything.’

Elisabeth Elliot with spears retrieved from the bodies. (Photo, caption courtesy of Gene Jordan/MAF)

“Today, we have 70 years of being able to look back and see what God has done.”

As believers remember the sacrifice of these five men and the steadfast faith of their families, the question remains deeply personal.

What mission field is God calling you to?

Learn more about MAF’s ministry here.

Header photo: Five widows in Shell, following the return of the search party. (Photo, caption courtesy of Gene Jordan/MAF)

“They say the blood of the martyrs [has] so fertilized the soil of Africa that everywhere you plant the gospel, it germinates,” says Ray Mensah with OneWay Africa. 

With that missionary history of sacrifice comes responsibility.

“The Bible says to him that much is given, much is expected or required. So now that Africa has the largest number of Christians, Africa has to play a significant role in world evangelization,” Mensah says.

“Africa cannot continue to be a mission field. Africa has to be a mission force. We believe we are [a] mission force but want to be [a] full-scale mission force, sending praying, supporting in every area.”

That’s why Mensah and other African leaders are planning the Africa Missions Conference September 23-27, 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya.

(Photo courtesy of Annie Spratt via Unsplash)

“It will be a place for networking, for partnerships, for new movements to rise up,” he says, adding, “We’re hoping that some of the denominational heads in Africa will come and churches that are not missionary, and they will catch the fire for missions.”

The conference carries an open invitation for you to come in person. Mensah calls for anyone around the world interested in missions to attend — whether field workers, leaders, intercessors, trainers or [those] carrying other roles.

“I challenge all those with passion for missions to stand with us globally. Especially also if someone is listening and you are African in the diaspora… we are calling you, come!” Mensah says, sharing that many nationalities will be represented. “Be part of the mission movement. God is doing wonderful things in Africa, and we invite you, come back home.”

Jesus Film Riders (Image courtesy of OneWay Africa)

The conference committee is also praying that the gathering will lead to national missions associations being launched in every sub-Saharan country. These have already begun in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya and Malawi in the past decade or so.

“We have realized that mission movements, or national mission associations, help to push or propel missions in the country to reach the unreached,” Mensah says, adding, “Once those movements are formed, it will be a turning point in missions in Africa.”

Mensah sees [that] God is raising every part of His Church to be active. Learn more about the conference and register here. 

“I believe the Africa Missions Conference will be that part of the global Church in action, and Africa taking its place and playing its role, together with North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Oceania, together for the Great Commission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth,” he says. “Amen!”

Header photo of Jesus Film Rider courtesy of OneWay Africa.

Karim Arezki is a professor of comparative religions involved in the North African Christian community. In a recent conversation with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, he described the big picture this way:

“The underground church and ministries are growing and God is opening many doors through persecution, which is part of our faith. But our leaders and people in our Christian community are tired because of the situation.”

Karim Madi, an Algerian pastor living in Europe, says, “Before 2019 when we could say there was persecution in society and from the family. But after 2019 the persecution started to come from the government.”

With only a few churches open across the country today, many believers meet online or underground.

Arezki says that when Algeria gained its independence from France in 1962, it allowed for more freedom for missionaries. This led to people coming to know Christ, and, eventually, revival.

Photo of Bejaia, Algeria courtesy of SLPix via Pixabay

“In the 1970s, more Algerians were accepting the Lord. But it wasn’t easy. From 1982 until 1999, Christianity was growing, and people of all generations — teenagers, older people, men and women — accepted the Lord. There was a revival in the Kabyle area. In every village, there were underground churches, and they were growing in the Arab areas as well,” says Arezki.

“The revival of Christianity in Algeria started in 1990, with a new generation of believers. This encouraged others in their faith in Jesus and to share, but they paid the price. Some of them went on to have a good position in society, including in the government. The persecution began when it was learned there were many Christians.”

Arezki says Christians lost their jobs and faced verbal and physical abuse when their faith in Christ became known.

“What we see in this second generation of Christians [who are] growing up in Christian homes [is] the fruit because of their faith of their parents, and how they educated their children in school and in faith.”

Pray for Algerian believers as they face pressure from the government in addition to pressure from their family and society. Pray that Muslims will be curious about the Christianity they see and will turn to Christ.

“The persecution isn’t stopping us from our faith. Yes, we have had arrests and we will never know what will happen next. Many churches are closed and few are open. But we have underground churches that continue to practice their faith under these circumstances.”

Find out more about how you can be invested in the persecuted Church at Voice of the Martyrs Canada.

(Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Himsan via Pixabay.)

Some of these prisoners are housed in shipping containers, vulnerable to harsh temperatures. These detention camps lack adequate food and sanitation, leaving prisoners open to threats like COVID-19, according to a report from Amnesty International.

Why the hostility?

Dr. Brehane Esemelash runs a ministry for Eritrean Christians out of London. He tells The Voice of the Martyrs Canada that Eritrean leaders want to be worshipped, not simply obeyed.

“Because as evangelicals, we see all Christians, the global, worldwide Church. All Christians are our brothers and sisters. That makes the Eritrean leaders insecure. They want to isolate their own people from the outside influence,” Esemelash says.

“They want you to believe what they say over their TVs and radios. In Eritrea, there is only one TV station and one radio station.”

Eritrean authorities went after the local Orthodox church as well, but Dr. Esmelash said their leadership structure made it easier to control. “The hierarchy goes strictly from up, down. So if they control the leadership, they will control the whole communication.”

Eritrean Christians

Eritrean Christians persevere in the face of oppression. Dr. Esmelash spent time in an Eritrean prison, and he knows others who have as well. He even knows people who have been martyred for their faith in Jesus.

If these people had a second chance, they would still make the same decision. Dr. Esmelash says, “Because they wanted to die for the person who died for them. Jesus gave His life for our sake. It’s the same as Christians in the New Testament, like Stephen when he was stoned to death.”

Ask God to protect and strengthen Eritrean Christians.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Silvia De Giovanni/Pixabay.

Eric Mock with the Slavic Gospel Association says, “Christians would be sent away to gulags. Omsk was a place where people were actually sent to die. More than 500 believers were martyred for their faith.”

But that didn’t stop the growth of God’s kingdom. Mock says, “In this region where Christians were literally sent to die, and where they hoped that Christianity would cease, it has become a location of faithful churches who are proclaiming the Gospel.”

SGA Partnership

In recent years, SGA has begun partnering with churches in this region, supporting pastor development and community outreach.

Mock says they have a lot of ground to cover. “I was standing with a pastor in a portion of the city that has over 120,000 people and no Bible-teaching church at all. There are countless numbers of villages and cities where there is no Bible teaching or Bible preaching presence.”

Ask God to raise up missionaries and teachers in these regions. Pray churches would grow, and that they would be known for their love for all people.

Mock says the people in many of these regions live in poverty and hopelessness. The winters bring harsh cold, while the summers have seen severe wildfires in recent years. “Think of orphanages full of orphans that have never heard the hope of the Gospel, and villages caught up in alcoholism and self-destruction. The further east you go, [you find] hundreds and hundreds of villages have never heard the hope of the Gospel.”

Want to support SGA as they assist churches in this region? You can donate here.

Header photo courtesy of Алексмар, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Meanwhile, the Taliban is once again ruling with violence in Afghanistan. On Saturday, Taliban members hung a dead body in a city square, reportedly to “alert all criminals that they are not safe.” Last week, a senior Taliban leader promised strict punishments and executions would return.

Heart4Iran partner Mark Morris says Afghan believers need your prayer.

“There are Christians who made a very heart-wrenching choice a few weeks before the Taliban took control. These Christians said, ‘We want to register with the government. We don’t want to be known as Muslims’… and they were allowed to register,” Morris says.

“The Taliban has all that (information). Those people are at great risk.”

Taliban fighters patrol Kabul, August 2021.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Through partners on the ground, Heart4Iran is helping Afghan Christians. A new $15,000 matching grant provides virtual Church access, trauma counseling, Bibles, and more.

Give online through Heart4Iran here.

“There’s chaos [and] fear. There are a lot of door-to-door searches. We have heard reports about followers of Jesus who have been martyred for their faith,” Morris says.

“For the most part, people are uncertain [about] what the future holds.”

Plenty of rumors surround the status of Afghan Christians, but verifiable reports surface, too. Pray the Lord will strengthen and sustain His followers in Afghanistan.

“We’ve heard rumors of a whole church being martyred, and we know that’s not true. But we don’t want to belittle any story that we hear; we want to investigate it,” Morris says.

“We know specific [Afghan Christians] who have called. One sister in the Lord called and said, ‘the Taliban took my husband, and they decapitated him because of his faith.’ Another brother shares, ‘the Taliban has burned my Bibles.’ Those are the things that we can verify.”

See our complete coverage of the Afghanistan crisis here.

In the header image, U.S. Air Force loadmasters and pilots assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron load passengers aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA), Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen)

The total number of Christians killed for their faith rose 60% in 2020, and 91% of these killings occurred in African countries like Nigeria. The COVID-19 pandemic has also created an environment and excuse to blame Christians and other religious minorities.

Bruce Allen of FMI says, “The scores are getting worse, especially when you analyze figures from the last 10-15 years or so. Take a country that may have been in position 20. Now, the country that would hold that position has a much higher score in regards to that discrimination and persecution. So while there’s still only 50 countries ever in that list, the situations in those countries are becoming much more severe.”

Here are the top ten most dangerous countries:

1. North Korea
2. Afghanistan
3. Somalia
4. Libya
5. Pakistan
6. Eritrea
7. Yemen
8. Iran
9. Nigeria
10. India

See the full top 50 list and get more information here.

China entered the top 20 for the first time in a decade, due to its treatment of Uighur Muslims and other religious minorities. In addition, China’s massive use of digital surveillance technology has caused a lot of concern for religious freedom.

A 17th Century Japanese painting depicting martyrs in Nagasaki. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

The triumph of the Gospel

But Allen says the increase of persecution isn’t the full story. “It sounds like we’re talking doom and gloom because we’re talking about bad things happening to good people. I would love the Mission Network News audiences to understand that doesn’t mean that these people are feeling defeated by any means. They’re continuing with ministry in very creative ways.”

He relates a story from Pakistan, the 5th most hostile country on the list. The imam of a mosque, a Muslim leader in his community, came to faith in Christ. When he told his family and his community, Allen says, “He was beaten. He was expelled from the mosque, he lost his job.”

But his reaction to the violence was surprising. Allen quotes him, “This is fine. I have no despair. I have no panic. This is showing me that I’m actually following in the footsteps of Christ.”

Christians serve a Lord who was beaten, mocked, and even executed. But he rose from the dead. Even death can’t defeat the Church.

Ask God to give courage and perseverance to His people around the world. To help come alongside these believers, support ministries like FMI who work with them.

(Header image by sspiehs3 from Pixabay)

The brutal attacks have killed and injured dozens of Christians. The violence in other West African countries like Nigeria has certainly enveloped Burkina Faso, says Voice of the Martyrs Canada’s Greg Musselman.

“Already Burkina Faso has become a place where the attacks by militant Islamics is increasing. Again, as an example, from January of 2016 to 2019, there were 1800 killed. And in 2016, [just] 80. So this is becoming more and more intense, and it’s definitely a place of concern. For the . . . Christians that are living there, this is a nightmare.”

Read more here. 

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Musselman shared a story of another attack in which a pastor and his family were kidnapped and later executed. He says Christian communities have been deeply hurt in Burkina Faso by these constant heartbreaking attacks.

Who is responsible?

Musselman suggested a couple of possibilities: the Islamic State of West Africa and Boko Haram from Nigeria. Boko Haram continues to gain more territory in Nigeria, and has been known to intrude into Burkina Faso.

And certainly the pattern of attacks mirrors the start of Boko Haram’s dominance in Nigeria. Musselman says the United Nations has made statements about the attacks and is increasing relief efforts in the country.

“You’ve got 600,000 people that are internally displaced, and that becomes a problem. So, at this point, it is one of the world’s fastest growing human humanitarian crisis, and the numbers seem to be getting worse. And again . . . the number of people displaced in Burkina Faso has risen 1200 percent in 2019, and it is continuing right into 2020.”

Voice of the Martyrs’ next goal is sending people into Burkina Faso to help rebuild churches, aid the bereaved, and bring some stability into the war zone.

Pray for Burkina Faso

Pray that peace would return to Burkina Faso. (Image by RobertoVi from Pixabay)

As radical militant Islamic groups terrorize the country, Musselman asks believers to pray that the general population would not be caught up in the fervor and join the fight. “The leaders in the country, the Muslims, and the Christians, really need to be saying, ‘Look, we have lived at peace for decades. Burkina Faso is known [for] having harmony within their culture.’”

Pray also that the Church in Burkina Faso would be able to show grace and mercy while at the same time protecting themselves. For those grieving the loss of loved ones, pray that Christ would comfort them with the hope of His return.

Most of all, Musselman says, “In the middle of all that, too is the [proclamation], the message of peace that Jesus came to bring to this earth. Really, that’s the only thing that is going to stop this from getting out of control.”

National heroes memorial (monument of martyrs), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs, USA says the problem is two-fold. There are problems both with the Church and the government.

The Church’s Neglect

1 Corinthians 12 talks about the Body of Christ. The Church should be eagerly watching and caring for every member. However, often the Church does not see or seek out those actively suffering with persecution.

(Image courtesy of VOM USA)

Nettleton says, “It’s a misapplication of Scripture, which calls us when one part of the body is suffering, the other parts of the body are supposed to feel that. If we are cut off, [we] can’t feel that and so there’s the aspect of the Church and why doesn’t the Church pay more attention?”

Some of that answer may be ignorance. Voice of the Martyrs, USA seeks to change that. One of their purposes is, “To promote the fellowship of all believers by informing the world of the faith and courage of persecuted Christians, thereby inspiring believers to a deeper level of commitment to Christ and involvement in His Great Commission.”

However, the Church is not alone in a quiet response.

The Government’s Disinterest

Government leaders do not often actively pursue these issues for several reasons. Nettleton details two of those reasons.

1. Government officials work for re-election. Many elected officials do what they believe voters want to see. Nettleton says, “I think in some cases, it is, they don’t think their voters care about that. And they work for voters. And so we as voters, we need to let them know this is a priority to us. This is something we think about when we go to the ballot box.”
2. America is in debt. Telling a foreign government to change their laws and treat Christians better is tricky when we owe them more than we can pay. Nettleton explains, “It’s hard for us to do that because the borrower is the servant of the lender. And so, there is an economic reason why some of our government officials are hesitant to raise the issue of persecution with foreign governments.”

“This is a chance for us to affect their behavior.”

(Image courtesy of VOM USA)

There are ways to help believers around the world who are facing persecution. One way is by seeking change through political means. Voters in democratic nations wield a lot of power.

Nettleton says that after speaking with a congressman he realized that seeking out officials and calling or writing letters really does matter. Each call is recorded and cataloged. Officials are given a record on what constituents are asking about and eventually it affects their actions.

“So it really does make a difference, that we have a voice and that we let them know and we ask questions we ask educated questions about you know, special cases.”

Get Involved

You can make a difference. Go to persecution.com to learn more about Christian persecution worldwide and how you and your Church can help.

Also get involved politically. Nettleton states, “You know, as Americans, we have an opportunity to have a voice in our political process. Hopefully, our faith in Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him affects how we see the issues that we get an opportunity to have a voice in. And so hopefully, the things we believe the Scriptures that we’re reading, and our prayer life is going to affect how we interact with our politicians. It’s also going to affect how we vote for our politicians.”

Call your congressman with specific requests for helping persecuted Christians around the world. Make your voice heard.

But most of all, pray. Pray for the encouragement of believers facing trials. Pray that those who have a voice would stand for those who are being silenced.

(Header image courtesy of VOM USA)