In recent months we have witnessed the notorious bombing of “Jewish genocide against the Palestinian people”. Zionist university students on the warpath. Jewish lecturers treated like trash by “allegedly prestigious” universities. Synagogues burned, vandalized. Media, which adopted the term, repeating it ad nauseum, politically directed gatherings and, at the height of the lack of reason, various international organizations accepting the fallacy of said deception. Of course the conflict was real. Of course there were thousands of deaths, around 65,000 deaths are reported, but it was not said that around 30% were Hamas terrorist hitmen, who by the way continue to kill Palestinians, shooting in the streets those they have considered collaborators, always, of course, from rival Palestinian tribes. In short, it seemed to us, at a global level, that those dead had to do with a, I repeat, “genocide” falsely narrated by those interested in obtaining shares of power.
Those same Western warriors, who were so interested in the Palestinian conflict, seem to have no interest in the systematic slaughter of CHRISTIANS IN THE HEART OF AFRICA. Thus demonstrating their lack of shame and lack of interest in conflict resolution. Just yesterday, speaking about this topic, I was told the argument that those deaths have to do with land conflicts, with tribal clashes. Thousands of people dead, churches with Christians inside burned. Women and girls raped and murdered with machetes, it is true that the majority were black. Black Christians don’t count.
For this reason, in the following article I wanted to delve into the conflict zones and the groups involved, with the sole purpose of contributing a grain of sand in a desert that interests few.
In the northwest of Nigeria, Boko Haram/ISWAP acts, devastating the lands and attacking civilians and Christian communities. Likewise in the Middle Belt (North Central) In that country, the nomadic Fulani shepherds ravage the mostly Christian agricultural areas, leading to these conflicts in massacres and displacement of the latter. Comment that some European countries give money to the Nigerian government to help resolve these types of conflicts, without anyone knowing exactly where the money flows to.
In the area of Sahel (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger), radical jihadist groups, linked to the ISIS and Al Qaeda, They permanently attack fundamentally Christian rural populations, although they are not averse to massacring Muslims who oppose them and their ways of murder, in a permanent genocide of these communities.
In the Central African Republic (CAR), There is a confrontation between ex-Seleca and anti-Balaka militias, who take their confrontations to Christian communities that are massacred and permanently displaced, without anyone doing absolutely anything.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (east – Kivu, and Ituri), Muslim militia groups, including the ADF, Allied Democratic Group, attack villages, massacring Christians in the most atrocious forms and manners, burning churches and murdering their priests or pastors.
In Mozambique (Cabo Delgado), The jihadist insurgency linked to ISIS systematically attacks coastal towns, killing hundreds of people and causing massive displacement.
In the border area of Somalia and Kenya, The Al Shabab group commits attacks in public places against Christians and Western sympathizers, making clear its intention to sweep from that area everything that has to do with non-jihadist religious symbols.
In Egypt, a place that has apparently been discovered by Westerners as a wonderful place, and full of diplomatic virtues, where agreements can be signed towards the resolution of the Israel-Gaza conflict, the government should be asked what it is doing about the systematic and sectarian destruction of the Coptic communities, their churches and their members. Understanding that the signing of the agreement has meant good business for that country, the reality is that there are Christian communities subject to the purest ostracism. The West, undoubtedly blinded by the branches, still does not see the forest.
Without a doubt in Ethiopia, There is that terrible singularity that causes systemic famine (a true genocide caused by the West, who sometimes respects too much those who control certain countries) and ethnic-political conflicts. (Tigray, Amhara, Oromia) which, even though they are territorial conflicts, have practically wiped out the Christian communities in many of those areas.
Another of the most atrocious areas of the African continent, it is undoubtedly Sudan and South Sudan. The permanent violence recorded for years, and the endemic conflicts among its inhabitants, has taken a “curious” toll on Christian populations that did not participate in the conflicts, especially in rural and border areas.
The groups involved in the aforementioned conflicts.
Jihadist groups: Boko Haram/ISWAP, al-Shabab, ISIS affiliated groups, groups linked to Al Qaeda in Sahel and Mozambique.
Local militias and paramilitaries: ex-Seleka, anti-Balaka, ADF, armed factions in DRC.
Intercommunity groups: Clashes between shepherds and farmers. Always loaded with an ethnic and religious conflict. If in certain areas you are Christian and a member of the non-dominant ethnic group, you will usually end up dead.
State forces: Due to the foreign money that the leaders of certain countries receive, state forces try to resolve, depending on what conflicts, and generally in favor of the predominant groups.
Most probable causes, depending on what was studied.
Jihadist insurgency (most common): terrorist campaigns, imposition of territorial control, punishment of collaborators (I recommend studying the history of Hamas in Gaza, to understand this issue, how many Palestinians this terrorist organization murders to come to power).
Conflicts over resources and land: especially over access to pastures/land, which leads to serious conflicts, especially in areas where Christians predominate and very rarely defend themselves.
Fragmentation of the State and security gaps: As we have already seen, the lack of security (state) generates conflicts. The Christian communities being the most punished.
Various motivations (ethnic, religious, economic): In general, religious motivation, in some areas, is not the main motivation, but it is a good excuse. The attack on Christians does not arouse excessive sympathy in the area and, apparently, right now neither in the West, except in a few lukewarm words from the President of the United States.
Displacement and Vulnerability: Systematic attacks on churches and religious leaders to sow panic and thus displace the population.
The most common forms of attack are usually: Village massacres; attacks on churches and religious communities; kidnappings of women and children, religious leaders, etc.; bomb attacks in urban areas; Selective assassinations of religious and community leaders.
A topic like this always needs more information. Here I leave some sources that we can all consider reliable and valid.
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project), data on violent incidents by country and date.
UN OCHA/UN, humanitarian and displacement reports.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty Internationalthematic reports and rape whistleblowers.
Open Doorsmonitoring persecution and attacks against Christians (World Watch List).
International Crisis Groupconflict analysis by country.
Pew Research/Pew Forumcan offer context about religion and persecution.
Local media and large agencies (BBC, Al Jazeera, Reuters) for recent incidents.
We acknowledge The European Times for the information.
