Nigeria: In 2023, attacks caused over 500 victims in Nigeria’s Benue State

Between January and the end of December 2023, the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, suffered 119 attacks against the settled populations by Fulani herdsmen.  According to a report sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), over 400 people were killed, and more than 100 others were wounded, raped, or …

Nigeria -No justice for 300 people massacred on Christmas Eve

Three weeks after extremists murdered more than 300 people, burnt down entire villages, and destroyed food supplies in coordinated attacks in Nigeria’s Plateau State, none of the perpetrators have been held to account. Masara Kim, a local journalist whose cousin was killed, told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that hundreds of …

ACN to focus on Middle East, Sahel, and Latin America in 2024

Regina Lynch, executive president of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), highlights the worrying increase in religious freedom violations around the world, but also the positive reaction to ACN campaigns such as Red Wednesday and One Million Children Praying the Rosary. You were nominated executive president in April 2023. What is your view for …

Fulani herders kill nearly 200 Christians at Christmas in central Nigeria

Terrorists caused death and destruction during the Christmas holidays among the Christian communities in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Mangu (but Bokkos was the epicentre) Plateau State, central Nigeria. The executive president of ACN, Regina Lynch, regrets yer another episode of violence against Christians in Nigeria. “This year began with the brutal murder of Fr Isaac …

First “Courage to be a Christian” award goes to Nigerian Pentecost bombing victims

Margaret Attah—who lost both her legs and part of her vision in an attack on a church in western Nigeria—and Dominic Attah travelled to London to receive the award, presented by the UK office of Aid to the Church in Need. Two of the survivors of an attack that left 41 Christians dead and more …

Mali – German priest freed after over a year in captivity

Fr Ha-Jo was aware of the risks to his safety by continuing to work in Mali, but persisted, driven by a desire to improve the situation for the country overall, and to remain with his small Christian community. A German priest who was kidnapped in Mali over a year ago has finally been freed. Hans-Joachim …

Burkina Faso – New chapter of suffering for Christians

Murder of two scouts and expulsion of Christians in the northwest of the country Terrorists have forced the Christian population of Débé in Burkina Faso to leave their village. Earlier, they shot dead two scouts in the village church who resisted their orders. This incident was reported by Bishop Prosper B. Ky during a visit …

ACN Success Story – Togo

Three motorcycles for religious brothers in a rural area The “Rural Missionary Brothers” (Frères Missionnaires des Campagnes) have been working in Africa since 1969. Today, they are present in four West African countries: Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin, and Mali. However, numerous areas of West Africa now face the threat of jihadist terrorism. In Burkina Faso …