Msepera Ujam with her child in an IDP camp in Guma, Nigeria. Extremist Fulani herdsmen killed her husband and smeared his blood all over her body “as a warning."
Jihadists destroyed the icon of Jesus and St. Mary in St. George’s Melkite Church when they seized the Syrian shrine town of Maaloula.
Al-Qaeda affiliates (such as JNIM) have expanded rapidly across the Sahel and surrounding regions. These groups operate across borders, making them difficult to contain and increasing the regional spread of violence. In fragile states where governance is weak, extremist groups exploit religious divisions to advance their agendas. 4 In regions such as northern Nigeria and the central Sahel, terrorist groups have attacked churches, clergy, and Christian villages. Kidnappings, murders, and beheadings are not uncommon. This has contributed to the perception — and often the reality — of Christians being specifically vulnerable within a wider conflict environment. Terrorist violence has driven millions from their homes and Christian communities, particularly those in rural or border regions, have experienced displacement, loss of livelihoods, and destruction of religious infrastructure, including churches and schools. Persistent attacks undermine the ability of Christians to worship safely and engender fears that violence and displacement could lead to long-term changes in the religious composition of affected regions. 5
Many terrorist attacks are tied to local grievances, including ethnic or communal disputes, which extremists exploit to recruit fighters and expand their influence. 6 Middle East Conflict dominated the region as the ramifications of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel continued to reverberate. Israeli operations in Gaza killed or displaced thousands, with the Holy Family and Saint Porphyrius churches serving as sanctuaries for those Christians fleeing the violence. 7 The conflict also spread into Lebanon following Israeli strikes on the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. The tensions in the region were further inflamed by the US-Iran War in February 2026. 8 In Syria, the long-running civil war ended with the defeat of Bashar Al-Assad, and the installation of the former Islamist Jihadist commander from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Ahmed Hussein Al-Sharaa as president. In the aftermath of Assad’s downfall, attacks against minority communities increased, especially the Alawites and Druze minorities. Christians have
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