Facing the Caliphate: The Ordeal of Religious Minorities in Africa

Ten years after ISIS’s attempt to establish a foothold in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa has become the new jihadist El Dorado. Groups affiliated with al-Qaeda (JNIM) and the Islamic State (EIGS) are stepping up their offensives in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. This geographical barrier is giving way to a plan for a Sahelian caliphate. The terrorist strategy is evolving: from rural areas, the groups are moving to encircle urban centers and are threatening Benin, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire, in a scenario reminiscent of the fall of Afghanistan.

This security crisis is compounded by a deep social divide. The local culture of tolerance has been shattered by ethnic and religious divisions that have been deliberately exacerbated. Christian communities are prime targets, facing the tragic choice between forced conversion or death. The tragedy in Silgadji (the murder of a pastor in Burkina Faso) in 2019 marked the beginning of systematic persecution: regions emptied of their minorities, churches closed, and discriminatory taxes imposed. Sub-Saharan Africa is now the region with the most severe religious persecution in the world.

Image caption: Jihadist in Timbuktu, credit Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Despite this chaos—including 2 million displaced people in Burkina Faso—the crisis receives little attention in the West. Yet instability in the Sahel threatens global security by fueling migration routes and trafficking networks toward Europe. To stem this tide, a overhaul of foreign policies is urgently needed. A comprehensive approach must rely on local faith-based organizations and their community media. Thanks to their deep social roots, these actors are indispensable pillars for information, education, and community mediation. Sustainable reconstruction cannot happen without these voices on the ground.

Illia Djadi, an expert on security and religious freedom (Open Doors International). Member of Médias Ébène and the leadership of FOMECAF, a network of pan-African radio stations.