“Even though the roots of this government are much more extreme, I think that they are trying to find a way to work towards a state that is controlled,” he says. 

President Ahmed al-Sharaa will continue to target Hezbollah, a Shia paramilitary group, due to its connection with the previous regime. 

“When they do things like this, it shows that they have the ability to protect minority groups, including the Christians, that are still living there,” Samuel says. “And so that could be viewed as a positive.” 

At the same time, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended Syria as a Country of Particular Concern in light of deteriorating religious freedoms over the last year.  

In the face of mixed or unclear motives, Samuel believes Kingdom eyes will see one thing clearly: the opportunity to pray. From a Great Commission perspective, it’s a matter of playing the long game. 

“I think the final thing is long-term ministry connectivity, not short-term connectivity,” Samuel says. 

As Syria rebuilds, investment by international organizations in the local church and community could be a boon for economic transformation. In the meantime, while the lack of infrastructure makes ministry difficult: 

“I think it’s also the opportunity for Christians to walk in and be part of that infrastructural change that needs to take place,” Samuel says. 

He points out that Christians have the opportunity to meet people at the intersection of immense physical and spiritual need:

“To really truly walk in with open hands, with love for the Syrian people, and then meet real needs and help be part of the transformation.” 

Please pray for Christian brothers and sisters in Syria, and ask the Lord to have His way in the hearts of leadership there.

Courtesy of Ahmed Akacha via Pexels. Featured photo courtesy of Omar Ramadan via Unsplash.

According to a March report on the DRC from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, attacks by the ADF such as the April 1 incident in Bafwakoa have escalated in the majority-Christian, resource-rich nation.

Photo of North Kivu and Ituri Provinces courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

“Congo has unfortunately been in this perpetual spiral of instabilities for decades,” says Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations. “And you know, the last five years in particular, they see an opportunity, and so they’re trying to move into these areas, which are heavily Christian areas.”

The DRC’s situation is not the same as Nigeria’s. In Nigeria, there is a sharper divide between Muslims and Christians within the country’s north. But in the DRC, that element of antagonism is less prevalent. 

“More of the commonality that the DRC and Nigeria have is the instability, and so it’s opportunities for them to really establish a Muslim beachhead,” says Kelley. “[In northern Nigeria,] it’s had the Boko Haram activity, the Fulani herdsmen. They’re literally trying to eradicate Christianity in the north.”

But Kelley notes that in the DRC, the ADF isn’t targeting only Christians. 

“These are just kind of almost generic brutalities, killing, raiding villages, trying to take ground, trying to get people to just pack up their bags and move on so they can control territory,” Kelley says, “because again, this is some of the wealthiest real estate, not just in Congo, not just in Africa, but in the world.”

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Photo courtesy of Johnnathan Tshibangu via Unsplash)

Yet statistically speaking, believers do endure the brunt of ADF attacks. That’s because 95 percent of the DRC’s population identifies as Christian, according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom report. Recent attacks on Christians took place in March and February. There are likely more that have not made it to mainstream media. But the big picture trend is clear: According to a report from International Christian Concern, the ADF claims that it has killed more than 700 Christians since December 2024. 

“It’s spiritual warfare, attacking God’s people in a place where the gospel, in the midst of all the instability, has grown tremendously. It’s a real success story,” says Kelley.

Ask God to raise up more Christians to serve as gospel workers in the DRC.

“It’s not the first place that a missionary is going to want to go. But missionaries are being mobilized in the Congo right now,” says Kelley. 

“We have a training center near Kinshasa that’s mobilizing missionaries to go into French-speaking areas. But when you see these kinds of things happening [attacks on Christian communities], they’ll be able to divert resources and go into that area. So pray for training efforts.”

Header photo: Portrait of a Taabwa Catholic priest at the historic mission in the city of Moba, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Photo courtesy of IMB)

Yet a critical question remains: will the US government take that report and turn it into effective policies to help the persecuted? 

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA explains that USCIRF’s annual report was meant to be “step one” in a process established by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

(Logo courtesy United States Commission on International Religious Freedom)

“That [report] goes to the State Department, and the State Department ultimately makes the determinations of Countries of Particular Concern, Special Watch List, [etc],” Nettleton says. 

However, the US State Department has not issued an International Religious Freedom Report (IRF) for two years.

“It’s like, okay, is this [USCIRF report] all we’re going to get? Is this the end of the process? Or is this as it was designed, ‘step one’ and now we’ll see what the State Department does with that?” Nettleton says. 

The IRF report from the State Department provides practical tools for the US to support religious freedom around the world. (More on that here.) Among other outcomes that respect human rights, this freedom can remove barriers to the gospel spreading. 

“I want to express appreciation for the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, the work that they do throughout the year, to identify, to document, to shine a light on violations of religious freedom around the world,” says Nettleton. 

“It helps us here at Voice of the Martyrs, when sort of the government is saying the same things that we’re saying about, in our case, only about Christians being persecuted.”

Nicaragua (Photo courtesy of Hermes Rivera via Unsplash)

For example, the Commission has recommended that the US redesignate Nicaragua as a Country of Particular Concern. Nicaragua is also a country that VOM USA has designated as “Restricted” this year for its intensifying persecution of Christians. 

“It is a country where pastors have been arrested. Pastors have been kicked out of the country. The government is using technology purchased from China to monitor people digitally — monitor where they are, monitor what they’re doing,” says Nettleton. “Most of us don’t know that that’s happening.”

If you’re a US citizen, consider contacting your government representatives and expressing your interest in seeing this State report issued. But no matter where home is for you, you can respond in prayer as you consider the Commission’s annual report findings. Access the report here.

“There are 29 countries, so you could literally pray through that list every month and use this as a sort of government-issued prayer guide on behalf of our persecuted brothers and sisters,” says Nettleton.

Learn more at VOM USA’s website, persecution.com. 

Header photo is a stock image courtesy of Kevin Lanceplaine via Unsplash.

“The USCIRF report helps to highlight countries where there are egregious violations of freedom of religion and belief. They’re the same countries where Christians suffer the most,” Dan Oleshani of Open Doors International says.

Religious freedom is a fundamental human right. Wherever it’s not protected, Christians face persecution. “Freedom of religion and belief is a fundamental right given to us by God. ‘Choose you this day who you will follow’ – the words of Joshua,” Oleshani says.

“Freedom of religion and belief coexist very comfortably with the quality of life. If you can’t choose where to worship, what to read, or who to congregate with, that’s a huge loss.”

Each year, USCIRF’s annual report and Open Doors’ World Watch List overlap. Afghanistan, Nigeria, and India appear in both places this year, along with China, Iran, and Syria.

(Screenshot of Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List)

“Countries designated for their lack of freedom of religion and belief are the same countries that we identify in the World Watch List for the persecution of Christians,” Oleshani says.

“There is overlap, and I think it’s a good thing, because the push by USCIRF and others for freedom of religion and belief also impacts the people that we are serving: persecuted Christians.”

Mandated by Congress, the USCIRF report helps inform State Department decisions. Actions can range from individual sanctions to economic pressure.

“It becomes important when the U.S. government and other Western governments take this report more seriously and apply pressure. It could be positive pressure or pressure that actually hurts. Then it starts to make a difference,” Oleshani says.

Prayer needs

USCIRF’s annual report and Open Doors’ World Watch List contain testimonies and statistics representing real people. Oleshani describes three ways to pray for them.

First, “Pray for those who are in authority” in countries that restrict religious freedom, Oleshani says.

“Part of [good governance] is allowing your citizens to choose whom to believe. That is an individual choice. It should not be dictated by a government.”

Persecuted Christians wrote much of the New Testament, including portions that exhort believers to intercede for governing powers. “Scripture, particularly Romans, was written when Rome was in power,” Oleshani says.

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

“Ancient Rome was a very oppressive government, so for the Scriptures to exhort us to do that (pray), it tells us that it is possible, and it is a good model.”

Second, Oleshani adds, “Pray for our persecutors, because the Lord is able to change their hearts, too.”

Third, “Pray that the understanding of the Bible will become more widespread,” Oleshani requests. “The Bible is a foundation for freedom of religion and belief.”

Header image of Nigerian church is a stock photo courtesy of Tosin Superson via Pexels.

However, the State Department has done nothing with USCIRF recommendations during Trump’s second term. The most recent International Religious Freedom report reviewed conditions in 2023.

The department’s lackluster response is surprising, given Trump’s ongoing appeal to evangelical Christians.

“We were really looking forward to something a little stronger to address some of the issues in countries where we are seeing specific persecution, oppression of Christians,” John Pudaite of Bibles For The World says.

“Countries that we’re watching closely are India, Southeast Asian nations, as well as Africa.”

Spotlight: India

The absence of a current IRF report is important because religious freedom violations could factor into US foreign policy decisions, such as sanctions. For example, India has gotten a free pass diplomatically, despite known persecution.

State anti-conversion laws have long been used against pastors, church planters, and evangelists. Despite greater government restrictions on Christianity, churches are growing.
(Photo, caption courtesy of VOM USA)

“In India, we have seen violence against Christians as well as other minorities increase continuously over the last couple of years,” Pudaite says.

“It’s a tough situation. Those who are persecuting them know that nothing will happen; they have complete impunity.”

Hindu mobs recently attacked Christian home fellowships, while others tried to make the meetings illegal. “They’re trying to attack the house churches and small groups that are meeting in homes,” Pudaite explains.

“There was an act by a couple of states to try to [outlaw] prayer in the home. This case, in the court, was defeated. So, there was small victory there.”

Prayer needs

India’s state-level anti-conversion laws remain problematic for believers. Please pray for perseverance.

“We have anti-conversion laws in 12 states. Many have been arrested under those laws; [it is] an inconvenience, at the very minimum,” Pudaite says.

“They get arrested. They have to go to court. It’s all part of the enemy’s tactics to try to discourage [believers].”

Pray that U.S. officials will prioritize religious freedom as they make policy decisions.

“There’s been a (USCIRF) recommendation that has gone forward, and we are really looking forward to [seeing] whether the US Department of State will follow through and act on that,” Pudaite says.

Header image depicts a Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally. Photo courtesy American Life League via Flickr.

Within Yemen, persecution of Christians also occurs, whether or not the rest of the world hears about it. Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, “We don’t always hear about these things because the information is not easy to leave the country.” 

Yet a February 9 news report from Human Rights Watch says more than 20 Christians have been arbitrarily detained by Houthi authorities in recent months. Enforced disappearances can look like this, says Brobbel: “Their relatives don’t know where they are. They can’t communicate with anybody. The officials who arrest won’t even give any indication that they have these Christians.”

(Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)

Brobbel says the detentions point to broader issues in Yemen — issues that merit advocacy and which other governments should be aware of. “Religious freedom is virtually non-existent in the region,” he says. “There’s been violence and tortures. There have been martyrdoms of pastors in the past. Christians are forced to hide.” 

Yemen once had 41,000 believers, according to the U. S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. But today, there are estimated to be only a few thousand. Brobbel says years of civil war, not just persecution, have also contributed to the drop. 

“A lot of Christians and religious minorities have left, but you’re always having those that stay,” he says. “Despite all these things that we’ve talked about, there is an underground church that is expanding despite the dangers that they’re facing on a daily basis.” 

Pray for strength for Christians in Yemen to share the gospel in the midst of hostile and, in many cases, unknown circumstances. 

“Pray that they would be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Pray that they would be effective in reaching their enemies for Christ,” says Brobbel. “You know, with opposition comes opportunity.”

Then ask yourself, what are you doing to share the gospel in your own nation and community? Ask God to help you see and take the opportunities all around you.

Learn how you can help Voice of the Martyrs Canada serve persecuted Christians at www.vomcanada.com.

Header photo is a representative stock photo of a boy in Yemen courtesy of Nazar Alareqe via Pexels.

Reported abuses range from arrests over online posts and private messages to long delays in church registration, along with weak police and court responses to attacks on Christians.

David Bogosian with the Alliance for the Unreached says the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is calling for the U.S. to increase scrutiny. “The recommendation [by USCIRF] is that Egypt be made a country on our Watch List,” he says. A U.S. Special Watch List designation would heighten State Department attention and could increase diplomatic pressure on Egyptian authorities.

There is also growing influence from Islamic clergy. That influence is often associated with Al-Azhar, a major center of Sunni Islamic authority based in Cairo, and with how blasphemy laws are interpreted and enforced.

St Simon the Tanner Monastery (Coptic), Cairo (Photo courtesy of Kerollos Atef AL- Mansy via Pexels)

Authorities can move quickly when they believe Islam is being criticized. This has increasingly included online activity.

“Anything that is viewed as disruptive, anything that might be negative of Islam, or put it in a bad light, they’re going to be prosecuted,” Bogosian says.

According to rights monitors, in recent months security forces have arrested dozens of people over social media posts expressing religious views that do not align with state-sanctioned beliefs, or for participating in online groups discussing atheism, agnosticism, or criticizing Islam.

Bogosian recalls a friend who was imprisoned and tortured for his faith in Egypt. After Christians around the world began writing letters to the prison, the man was released and later received asylum in the United States.

“So it does make a difference when we make our voices heard!” Bogosian says.

Even with pressure and persecution, Gospel work continues in Egypt — partly because the Coptic Church has endured hardship for centuries. “So Egypt is actually the epicenter for evangelism in the entire Middle East. This is very significant,” adds Bogosian.

Yet the need remains enormous: millions of Egyptians still haven’t heard about Jesus.

Pray Egyptian believers won’t give in to hate or fear. Pray the church will be strengthened and keep a powerful voice. Be part of Christ’s global rescue plan! Visit the Alliance for the Unreached to learn more.

Header photo: Five persons riding camels beside Pyramid of Egypt (Photo courtesy of Simon Berger via Unsplash).

In March, USCIRF released its 2025 recommendations of which countries the U.S. should watch regarding the freedom of religious belief. Their list of recommended countries correlates strongly with another list: The Early Warning Project’s ranking of nations where mass killings are most likely to occur.

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Stock photo courtesy of Johnnathan Tshibangu via Unsplash)

“More than half of the top 30 countries most at risk of mass killings are identified in USCIRF’s Annual Report for poor religious freedom conditions,” the release said. They suggest that promoting religious freedom is “a vital atrocity prevention tool.”

When Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA saw USCIRF’s report, he thought of a July attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dozens of Christians were killed by ISIS allies while at a prayer vigil. Another attack on September 8 left more than 70 Christians dead.

“Then to see a report that, ‘Wait a minute, genocide and mass killing seems to be more likely in places where religious freedom is not respected, where religious freedom is not protected…’ When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense,” Nettleton says. 

The Early Warning Project ranks Chad as the number one country most likely to have a mass killing outbreak. Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa are active there. This highlights another dynamic in USCIRF’s and The Early Warning Project’s lists. 

Nettleton explains, “It’s not necessarily a government action that is putting the risk of mass killing, the risk of genocide, in place. It is actually terrorist activity.” 

All this underscores the gravity of the U.S. State Department’s future 2025 International Religious Freedom report. The upcoming report will show how this new U.S. administration will apply its influence through international policies about other nations and entities. 

Find your place in the story

Religious freedom is not a given. Jesus said to His disciples, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). But that doesn’t mean Christians should do nothing about religious freedom issues.

Nettleton says the first response to these matters should be prayer for the persecuted Church. Use the list from USCIRF or even The Early Warning Project to launch your prayer for Christians.

(Photo courtesy of Aaron Burden/Unsplash)

“Religious freedom really underlies so many other freedoms,” Nettleton says. “From a spiritual perspective, as a Christian, my brothers and sisters are impacted by these situations. So I want my brothers and sisters to be able to worship in safety. I want them to be able to evangelize and have other people come to know Christ without the threat of violence, without government interference.”

Nettleton also calls for civic advocacy on behalf of the persecuted.

“We want to understand this information so that we can pray with more knowledge, with more specificity. We want to let our government authorities know that this is something we pay attention to. This is something we care about,” says Nettleton.

Header photo: Monument in Lippepark, located in Hamm, Germany (Photo courtesy of Sven Piper via Unsplash)

So how will the U.S. label the Houthi terrorist group in their upcoming 2025 Report on International Religious Freedom? USCIRF recommends that the Houthis remain listed as an Entity of Particular Concern, which comes with sanctions.

“Obviously, the State Department has to factor in lots of other angles, lots of other priorities into that conversation as well,” said Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA.

The Houthis (also known as Ansarallah) were already redesignated in March by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization. The State Department’s 2025 Report on International Religious Freedom should come out later this year.

(Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)

“The Iranian government has encouraged, supported the Houthis to make trouble — make trouble in the [Red Sea] shipping lanes, make trouble for Israel,” said Nettleton. “There is definitely a connection between the two countries.”

Yemen as a whole is in a worsening humanitarian crisis. Nettleton explains that followers of Christ face intense persecution on top of the physical dangers and struggles. With that in mind, please pray that entire families will come to faith together. 

“The reason I say that is because, typically, the first line of persecution is your family,” said Nettleton. “That’s true in Yemen. It’s true in other Islamic contexts as well.”

Finally, pray for wisdom and discernment for international leaders working with Yemen.

“[Pray] for them to be able to make wise recommendations and to understand when it’s best to use a carrot and when it’s best to use a stick to try to create more religious freedom and, frankly, other kinds of freedom in Yemen,” said Nettleton.

Header image is a stock photo of fishing boats in the port of Sfax in Aden, Yemen (courtesy of Yuksel Ozdemir via Pexels)

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.