An Islamic State attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo killed 15 Christians, amid a wider rise in persecution documented by Aid to the Church in Need. (Foto: Instagram)
A recent Islamic State (ISIS) attack in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo killed 15 Christians, according to the group’s announcement. The incident reflects concerns highlighted in a report by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a pontifical foundation that assists Christians facing persecution, war and extreme hardship. The report says persecution of Christians increased amid the expansion of terrorism in Africa.
The study, titled “Persecuted but Not Forgotten,” found that persecution rose 55% across 18 countries between Aug. 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026. The countries are Egypt, Mali, Turkey, Nicaragua, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, North Korea, Sudan, Vietnam, Mozambique, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Eritrea and Myanmar. Among the seven African countries on the list, conditions worsened in Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Mozambique, all of which face armed conflict and growing terrorist activity.
The Global Terrorism Index 2026, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, found that six of the 10 countries most affected by terrorism in 2025 were in Africa. Those six countries recorded a combined 3,424 deaths from terrorist attacks that year, out of 5,582 deaths worldwide. The report points to weak governance, ethnic tensions and military coups as factors that have enabled terrorist organizations, including ISIS, to expand amid domestic instability. It says Christian communities in affected countries have been disproportionately harmed, often becoming targets of Islamist and other extremist groups.
In Nigeria, more than 1 million Christians have had to flee their homes because of violence, which the report says is driven mainly by jihadist groups. Burkina Faso is another area of concern: The report says jihadist groups control about 40% of the country’s territory, including ISIS and Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). It also says militants have forced Christians to adopt customs rooted in a radical interpretation of Islam. Those who refuse risk being driven from their homes or killed.
The ACN report also documents religious persecution outside Africa, including cases linked to authoritarianism and religious nationalism. It cites China, North Korea and Nicaragua, where state actions affect Christians’ religious practice despite formal provisions for religious freedom, amid tight restrictions and surveillance. In China, priest Ma Xianshi was detained in November 2025 and later put on trial after being accused of selling books of Christian hymns outside what local authorities recognize as “faith communities.” He was sentenced to 18 months in prison in June 2026 and released on July 22.
In India, ACN recorded more than 700 incidents of violence against Christians in 2025, including disruptions of religious events, physical assaults and vandalism at churches. The report also notes rising tensions affecting religious minorities after Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power. In February 2026, a Christian family in Kapena village in Odisha state was prevented from burying a child who had died of kidney failure after the family refused to renounce its faith. The child’s father, Krutibas Santa, said some Hindu villagers opposed burying the boy in the village cemetery.
The family then tried to hold the burial on its own land, more than a kilometer from the village, but local residents also prevented that. Police were called to address the dispute. According to accounts received by ACN, authorities brokered an arrangement allowing the child to be buried on the family’s property, but without a religious service or Christian symbols, including a cross on the grave.
