Photo: Fides
On April 28th, a church in Sirgadji was attacked by armed assailants who pulled six Christians, including a pastor, behind the building and then shot them. (For more information about this situation, see our previous report.) Since then, the violence has continued, with at least two more deadly attacks taking place during church gatherings.
On May 12th, gunmen stormed a church in Dablo. Surrounding the congregants, the perpetrators shot and killed six of those who had attempted to flee, including a church leader, before torching the building and looting nearby stores. The next day, unidentified assailants stopped a religious procession in the town of Singa. The armed men allowed children to leave before killing four adults.
Attacks in this land-locked nation come at a time when the country's leaders, along with those of surrounding nations, struggle with increasing violence from Islamic militant groups, including the Fulani herdsmen who have been responsible for much of the recently reported violence in nearby Nigeria.
Please prayerfully uphold the grieving families, friends, and fellow congregants of those killed during these recent attacks. Pray that the country's governmental leaders will be successful in curbing the violence so that believers in Christ can freely worship without any further risk of opposition or life-threatening danger.
