The Modern Martyrs: Ongoing Persecution of Christians Around the World in 2025

Thousands of Christians continue to give up everything for their belief—even in the 21st century. Christian communities all over the world are undergoing targeted, faith-based violence. From atrocities in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo to symbolic terror bombings in Iraq, these aren’t tragedies from the past—they’re this week’s headlines.

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Nigeria: Systemic Terror Campaign

Benue and Plateau States in Nigeria’s Middle Belt commenced June 2025 in blood. Islamist herder militias ambushed Edikwu-Ankpali and surrounding villages during evening worship on June 1, massacring at least 28 Christians.

According to The Christian Post, Christian Daily, and Persecution.org, the attackers stormed into the churches, showered the worshipers with bullets, and burned a few houses. Survivors indicated mass graves, ongoing terror, and kidnappings of men and women.

In the past two weeks, about 86 Christians were butchered across the region. In April 2025, about 180 Christians’ deaths were documented as a result of coordinated attacks:

• 72 in Benue
• Nearly 100 in Plateau
• Dozens more in Gombe State

Sources: Christian Daily, Barnabas Aid, Decision Magazine, EU Parliament Human Rights Watch

This is not random violence. It’s part of a vast, systematic campaign to eradicate Christianity from rural Nigerian regions by Fulani militias and other Islamist radicals.

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Democratic Republic of Congo: The Kasanga Church Massacre

The ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), an ISIS-affiliated terror group, kidnapped a minimum of 70 Christians on February 12, 2025, in Mayba village of North Kivu. They were led to a Protestant church in Kasanga, where they were macheted to death in a brutal way, reports MercatorNet and Open Doors USA.

Their bodies, found two days later, were men, women, and most likely children.

This horrific act is one of a growing pattern. In 2024, the DRC saw:

• 355 Christians martyred for their faith—up from 261 in 2023
• Dozens of church properties destroyed or abandoned
• Continued targeting of Protestant and Catholic communities by the ADF

Sources: Open Doors, Catholic News, Church in Chains

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Pope Leo’s Pontificate: A Conservative Continuation of Pope Francis, Terrenglobe.com

Iraq: Axe Attack on Assyrian Christians

In Iraq, in Duhok, on April 1, 2025, an axe-wielding man attacked Christians during their Akitu procession for the Assyrian New Year. Having reportedly shouted “Dawla Islam” (“Islamic State”), the attacker seriously injured a 17-year-old boy, a 75-year-old woman, and a security officer.

AP News confirmed that the attacker was a Syrian refugee who was connected to suspected ISIS ideology.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) condemned the attack as a terrorist attack on a religious minority. Assyrians—one of the world’s earliest Christian communities—are still vulnerable despite centuries in the region.

Sources: AP News, UN Iraq, Kirkuk Now

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Global Snapshot: Christian Persecution in 2025

Country	Date/Range	Key Events
Nigeria	Apr–Jun 2025	180+ Christians killed in coordinated attacks
DR Congo	Feb 12, 2025	70 Christians beheaded by ADF in church
Iraq	Apr 1, 2025	Axe attack wounds 3 Assyrian Christians

These are just the most prominent cases. Open Doors’ World Watch List notes that there are over 360 million Christians living in countries where they face notable persecution.

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Why This Matters

This is not some ancient Roman or early Church tale. These are recent martyrs—pastors, children, believers, and entire families suffering or being executed for attending church, celebrating a religious holiday, or having a Bible.

This ongoing persecution raises some serious questions:

• Why is the world so vastly quiet?
• What else can faith communities, policymakers, and human rights organizations do?

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What You Can Do

If you want to help or learn more:

• Visit OpenDoorsUSA.org or Persecution.org for current statistics and individual testimonies.
• Provide humanitarian assistance through groups like Barnabas Aid and Samaritan’s Purse.
• Contact your representatives to lobby for increased protections of religious minorities abroad.

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Last Word

The martyrs’ blood is not history. It cries out from Nigeria’s villages, Congo’s churches, and Iraq’s city streets.

We must listen. We must act.

The Sisters of Auschwitz: The True Story of Two Jewish Sisters’ Resistance in the Heart of Nazi Territory Paperback, Amazon.com