07/26/2023 West Africa (International Christian Concern) — In the first six months of 2023, West Africa recorded more than 1,800 terrorist attacks, contributing to up to 4,600 deaths.
The astonishing figures were reported by regional official Omar Touray to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday. The violence, which has forced 6.2 million people to flee their homes as internally displaced people (IDP) and made 30 million in need of humanitarian assistance, is just “a snippet of the horrendous impact of insecurity,” reported Touray.
“The reversal of democratic gains runs parallel to insecurity that West Africa and the Sahel have been facing for some time now,” he said, adding that between January and June 30, there were 2,725 attacks in Burkina Faso, 844 in Mali, 77 in Niger and 70 attacks in Nigeria that all led to 4,593 deaths. The recent coup in Niger only exacerbates the situation.
Additional attacks in Benin and Togo, he said, are a “stark indication of the expansion of terrorism to littoral states, a situation that poses an additional threat to the region.”
The spread of terrorism across West Africa represents the greater goal of Jihad throughout the African continent and furthermore throughout the entire globe. Islamic extremists aim to establish a caliphate and enforce extreme Sharia law in whatever areas they conquer.
The political instability and poverty of Africa’s Sahel has created an environment for terrorists to thrive, enabling them to strengthen and spread into other African countries, which is why we are now seeing them move further and further west. If the quest for a global Jihad continues, Christians are especially vulnerable and singled out as “infidels,” or “western crusaders.”
Christianity poses the greatest threat to radical extremists in the world today, which is why the enemies of Christ are especially hostile toward His followers. Please pray for the church to unify and strengthen as it continues to persevere, and even grow, through persecution. Please pray for our brothers and sisters who are carrying the cross of martyrdom. Please also pray for the terrorists and the end of their tyranny, and for the darkness of this world to be defeated by the light of Christ.
