16.2 Million Christians are Displaced in Sub-Saharan Africa, Says New Open Doors Report
New research shows Christians face violent attack, forced displacement and discrimination in relief aid
SANTA ANA, Calif., Sept. 16, 2024 — There is a humanitarian crisis across sub-Saharan Africa that nobody is talking about. Over 32 million people, half of whom are Christians, have been forced to leave their homes and are living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
A new report from global religious persecution watchdog Open Doors shines a light on this catastrophe. Using data gathered from two states in Nigeria, the “No Road Home” report shows how Christians are victims of violent displacement—many times because of their faith—and then deal with additional discrimination and mistreatment as they flee the violence.
“No Road Home” is part of a multi-year effort by Open Doors called “Arise Africa,” which seeks to highlight and address the ongoing violence suffered by Christians in sub-Saharan Africa. The situation is grim and requires a massive response from the global community; the “No Road Home” report is the first step in this process.
The “No Road Home” report combines exhaustive literature and incident research with on-the-ground interviews conducted in 2024. Among the findings:
· From October 2019 to September 2023, 2.7 times as many Christians were killed as Muslims in violent attacks in Nigeria.
· Protracted violence by militant Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP—both of whom purposely target Christians—was overwhelmingly cited by interviewees as the primary driver of displacement in Borno state.
· Inadequate and poorly distributed resources, faith-based discrimination and insufficient understanding of specific displacement experiences increased the vulnerabilities of Christians during displacement.
This massive crisis is only part of the ongoing violence and instability facing Christians in sub-Saharan Africa. Research for Open Doors’ annual World Watch List—the yearly list of the 50 places around the world most hostile to the Christian faith—has found that sub-Saharan Africa is the most violent place in the world for Christians. Across the 26 sub-Saharan countries with at least “High” overall levels of persecution on Open Doors‘ 2024 World Watch List, more than 4,600 Christians were killed because of their faith during the 12-month reporting period. And, as in the previous year, Nigeria (which ranks No. 6 on the 2024 Open Doors World Watch List) accounted for more than 8 of every 10 of those religiously motivated killings in World Watch List countries. Nigerian Christians faced ongoing brutalities, destruction of property, abduction, sexual violence and death, being driven from their homes and stripped of their livelihoods altogether.
“Millions of Christians are displaced here in Nigeria... [as well as] in the whole of Africa,” shares Pastor Barnabas*, one of thousands of Nigerian Christians currently living in IDP camps due to the militant attacks forcing them from their homes and farmland. “We are remaining in the darkness.”
Pastor Barnabas lives in overcrowded camps filled with 1.5-meter-long tents made of used cardboard and plastics. He and his family have lived in the camp for the past five years. He shares that those in the camp struggle each day to find work or food to provide for their families.
“Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most violent place in the world for Christians,” said Open Doors US CEO Ryan Brown. “Faith-related deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa have far outstripped those of any other region in the annual World Watch List report for the last half-decade.”
The ”No Road Home” report makes this reality clear. The full report and its key findings are available here.
Driven by the research, the new report also includes policy recommendations, giving practical steps to international stakeholders to speak up for Christians in sub-Saharan Africa and to seek real progress toward ending the violence that is driving mass displacement. Additionally, the report makes suggestions for media and other public-facing spokespersons to highlight the woefully underreported crisis and to create mass awareness around the situation.
And finally, the report suggests that the Christian community can speak out for and with African followers of Christ. Despite the difficulties faced by millions, the African church remains resilient and asks Christians in the West to support them through prayer and advocacy.
“[Christian IDPs’] minds have been discouraged,” Pastor Barnabas continues. “And as a pastor in the camp, [who is also] displaced, I don’t have anything to give them. We only pray together and share the Word of God together. Our eyes are on [God]...our hope is [in] Him. We put our confidence [in] Him. We believe He is great. He will do it, more than we have expected.”
About Open Doors US
Open Doors US is part of Open Doors International, a global membership organisation with 25 national bases that has supported and strengthened persecuted Christians for more than 60 years and works in 70 countries. Open Doors provides practical support to persecuted Christians such as food, medicines, trauma care, legal assistance, safe houses and schools, as well as spiritual support through Christian literature, training and resources. Ryan Brown serves as Open Doors US CEO.
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Media Contact:
Melany Ethridge
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