(SRN NEWS)- ) The Nigerian government has announced a new military operation to tackle Islamic terrorists after more than 160 people were killed in western Kwara state. Local officials say the attack occurred Tuesday in two mostly-Christian villages. Amnesty International calls the incident “a stunning security failure.” No group has claimed responsibility, but locals suspect […]
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(SRN NEWS)- ) The Nigerian government has announced a new military operation to tackle Islamic terrorists after more than 160 people were killed in western Kwara state. Local officials say the attack occurred Tuesday in two mostly-Christian villages. Amnesty International calls the incident “a stunning security failure.” No group has claimed responsibility, but locals suspect one of several Muslim terror groups operating in northern Nigeria. Kwara state has seen a rise in violence lately, with experts warning it’s becoming a new frontier for armed groups seeking to expand. The on-going murder of Christians in Nigeria has sparked international outrage.
( ) A 17-year-old boy has been arraigned in New York on charges he sent threatening emails to other students, vowing to “kill all Jews” at the Renaissance Charter School in Queens. The email reportedly said that “At 2pm we will rise up and kill all the Jews in this school and the city”. Hen Mazzig of the Tel Aviv Institute warns that ““When hatred reaches students this young, anti-Semitism is not just alive, it is thriving and spreading to younger generations like a disease.” New York has seen a surge in anti-Semitism in recent years, much of it following the deadly Hamas attack on Israel in October of 2023.
( ) A new report from the Burma Research Institute reveals that 21 out of 22 churches in one predominantly Christian town have been destroyed since the 2021 coup. Nationwide, more than 340 churches and Christian-owned buildings have been flattened and several hundred believers have been killed or arrested. The problem is an on-going civil war between rebel groups and the military junta that is running the country. Both sides are persecuting Christians in a nation that is about 90 percent Buddhist. The war is entering its fifth year with no end in sight and observers say it’s not clear who will win.
( ) Religious persecution is an underreported aspect of the Russia-Ukraine war. International Christian Concern points out that amidst the fighting “Christ followers have been caught in the crosshairs as stories of the Russian government mistreating Protestant Christians and Ukraine restricting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been reported.” The United Nations has joined religious freedom ministries in expressing concern about the levels of persecution in both countries spawned by the war. Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022 and the conflict shows no immediate signs of abating.