Pastors Arrested in Sudan as Government Moves to Take Over Church
Police in Sudan arrested and interrogated seven church leaders last week in Omdurman, Sudan before releasing them on bail, sources said.
Christian Persecution – Africa
Egypt Closes One Church, Blocks Worship at Another
Authorities have closed a church that serves three villages in Upper Egypt on the pretext that area Muslims object to it – one of at least 15 Christian worship sites shuttered in the bishopric of Minya, sources said.
Al-Shabaab Beheads 3 Christians, Burns Alive Another in Kenya as Christians Plead for Help in Camps
Al-Shabaab fighters reportedly killed four Christian men in Kenya’s Lamu County last week, beheading three and burning alive another.
Pentecostal church in Ethiopia told to close after it was attacked by mob
A Pentecostal church in Ethiopia has been ordered to stop meeting in a residential area, in the wake of a mob attack on the church, after which a church member was arrested for illegal activities that incited religious clashes.
Kidnapped Pastor in Nigeria Released from Five Days of Captivity
Suspecting corrupt police and accusing the Nigerian government of failing to contain a rash of kidnappings, Christian leaders announced that a pastor abducted last week was freed on Wednesday (Aug. 9).
Fulani Herdsmen Kidnap Pastor in Plateau State, Central Nigeria
Armed Fulani herdsmen on Friday (Aug. 4) kidnapped a pastor as he and his driver were traveling in central Nigeria’s Plateau state, the wounded driver told Morning Star News.
Ethiopian Christian attacked with machetes for evangelizing
An Ethiopian Christian suffered deep wounds to the back of his head when he was attacked while alone in his home by a group of local Muslims with machetes.
Sudan demolishes another church, but MPs block school on Sundays
The Sudanese government demolished another church on Wednesday (2 August), the day after Members of the Khartoum state parliament rejected an order by the Minister of Education for all Christian schools in the capital to open on a Sunday.
Church in Zanzibar, Tanzania Shaken as Court Supports Muslims’ Opposition to Building
A court on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, ruled on Thursday (July 20) that a church cannot continue constructing a worship building it has tried to finish for eight years, sources said.
Al-Shabaab Militants Kill Seven Christian Men in Eastern Kenya
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that in early July, al-Shabaab militants led a series of attacks in Kenya’s Lamu County. Between July 5 and July 8 2017, militants raided three villages, and killed three police officers and seven Christian men.
Survivor of ISIS massacre says Christians were told to renounce their faith but women refused
One of the survivors of the massacre of 29 Egyptian Christians in Minya in May said that the Islamic State extremists forced the women off the bus and ordered them to renounce their faith in Christ, but the Copts refused.
Fearing attacks, Egypt’s churches suspend pilgrimages, trips
Egyptian churches on Thursday suspended pilgrimages, holidays and conferences for the remainder of July and August after authorities warned them about possible attacks by Islamic militants.
Kenya Beheadings: Radical Islamists Target Christians
Al Shabaab militia over the weekend killed 13 non-Muslims, mostly Christians, in coastal Kenya, sources said.
Church Demolitions in Sudan Sparks Strong Congressional Response
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a new bipartisan letter from the US House of Representatives was sent today to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, requesting that he raise the issue of Christian churches being targeted in Sudan with the Sudanese government.
Palm Sunday Bombings of Egyptian Coptic Churches Kill 44
At least 44 people were killed in bomb attacks on the symbolic cathedral seat of the Coptic Pope and another church on Palm Sunday, prompting anger and fear among Christians and troop deployments across Egypt.
Hundreds of Christians Flee Egypt’s North Sinai Amid ISIS Killing Spree
Hundreds of Christians in Egypt’s North Sinai province fled the area Friday after the Islamic State terror group killed seven Christians in just three weeks.
900 Churches in Nigeria Destroyed by Boko Haram
At least 900 Christian churches have been destroyed at the hands of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, as part of the Islamic radical group’s campaign to drive out all Christians from the north, the youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria reported.
Coptic Church Bombing: ‘Deadliest Attack’ on Egyptian Christians
A bombing at a Coptic cathedral in Egypt has killed at least 25 people and wounded 49 others during Sunday mass.
Christian pastors face death penalty if convicted in Sudan
Last December, two evangelical pastors from the Church of Christ in Sudan were taken from their churches and thrown into jail. Last month, the Rev. Abdulraheem Kodi and the Rev. Kuwa Shamal Abu Zumam were charged with numerous offenses, including waging war against the state, espionage and undermining Sudan’s constitutional system.
Christianity in Africa Threaten by Rise of Militant Islam
As the world focusses on potential military advances against the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, it risks overlooking another vast region where militant Islam is a growing threat to the Church – in the continent where the Church is growing fastest: Africa.