Tags

Attack

• Church Service Stormed by Mob

  

  Police have increased security around The Voice of Jesus Church in Khokhar, Pakistan, after a mob of approximately 40 men disrupted an evening service on April 16th. Thankfully, the injuries perpetrated by the mob were minimal. Even so, the church's gates and windows were damaged during the incident, and three bullet holes were left in the outer wall of the building.

• Easter Worship Services Raided

  

  While members of the Baptist church in Karshi, Uzbekistan, were gathered for worship on Easter Sunday, April 9th, police broke open the door and forced their way inside. Using electrical prods, they incapacitated some of the attendees while others cried and prayed. Ten members, including young people, were taken to the police station where they were held in custody until mid-afternoon. The detained believers were released after records of offence were drawn up against them.

• At Least 35 Killed During IDP Camp Raid

  

  On Friday, April 7th, a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) was raided by militant forces believed to be members of the Fulani tribe. The camp in Benue State, Nigeria, houses approximately 30,000 people, mostly Christians who have been forced to flee their villages due to previous attacks.

• Two Nigerian States Face a Spate of Violent Attacks

  

  Recent attacks by militants in Nigeria have resulted in dozens of deaths, along with kidnappings and the destruction of homes. Many Christians were targeted in these repeated violent attacks, often the result of their perpetrators' strict adherence to militant Islamic ideology. For more details on the suffering of Christians in Nigeria, go to our country report.

• Early Rain Church Faces Violent Raid

  

  The Early Rain Covenant Church has been a target of Chinese Communist Party officials since the church was raided in December 2018 (read more). The church's lead pastor, Wang Yi, was sentenced to nine years in prison and other members have faced detention and pressure. Despite ongoing intimidation and arrests, the ministry of the church has faithfully continued, though generally online or in small groups.

• Military Destroys Churches

  

  As Myanmar's military increasingly launches deadly airstrikes in an effort to crush rebel resistance, those residing in predominantly Christian regions are subjected to indiscriminate attacks. In many cases of similar attacks during recent years, Christians were especially affected, for churches and other religious institutions seem to have been specifically targeted.

• Pastor Shot and Worshippers Abducted

  

  Armed militants invaded the village of Dantsauri in Katsina State, northern Nigeria, on January 15th. During the raid, Pastor Haruna, who serves as the leader of the local New Life for All Church, was shot and injured. As many as 25 Christians were then kidnapped but, according to subsequent news reports, most of them were able to escape.

• Christian Woman Severely Beaten

  

  Since 2015, members of the Great Commission Baptist Church in the community of Rancho Nuevo, Hidalgo State, have been prohibited from accessing their land to cultivate crops. On December 21st, Maria Concepcion Hernández-Hernández was physically assaulted for merely viewing her plot of land after being asked by a neighbour to remove two trees from the property. When local leaders were informed that the Christian woman had gone to her land, she was ambushed and brutally beaten.

• Fatalities During the Christmas Season

  

  As a local church was about to begin their service on Christmas Day in Angwan Aku, Kaduna, Fulani militants entered the village on motorcycles. Shooting sporadically, one Christian was killed. Before leaving, the attackers also kidnapped 53 other villagers.

• Christians Expelled from Tribal Village

  

  On December 4th, a group consisting of 13 Christian families were expelled from their home village in rural Chhattisgarh because they refused to deny their faith. The families, comprising a total of 66 individuals, were summoned to a village council meeting in the town of Mungwal. The villagers opposing these families tried to pressure them to deny their faith in Jesus Christ, mandating that they return to their former tribal religion.