United States Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) has raised alarm over the increasing persecution of Christians across Africa, accusing governments in countries like Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique of abandoning their citizens to terrorists and political exploitation.
In a statement posted on his official X account on Thursday, Senator Risch condemned what he described as “a global silence” on the killings of Christians across Africa, calling it a disgrace that faith has now become “a death sentence” in several regions.
“Faith should never be a death sentence,” he wrote. “Yet across parts of Africa, Christians are hunted, butchered, and terrorised for their beliefs while the world looks away. In countries like Nigeria, DR Congo and Mozambique, they are targeted by terrorists, exploited by elites to settle political and ethnic scores, and abandoned — or betrayed — by their own governments. This is not just a tragedy. It is a disgrace. Action is long overdue.”
The senator’s comments follow renewed extremist violence in Mozambique, where ISIS-affiliated militants have reportedly beheaded over 30 Christians and destroyed at least seven churches in the Chiure district in recent weeks.
The Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP), responsible for the attacks, released graphic photos and statements boasting about the killings and destruction across the Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, both of which are largely Muslim-populated areas in a predominantly Christian country.
According to reports by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the militants carried out several attacks between 25 and 30 September, killing and beheading multiple Christians in different towns, including Macomia and Chiure-Velho.
Churches and homes were burnt down in Nacocha, Nacussa, and Nakioto villages, displacing over 50,000 people.
Since 2017, ISMP’s insurgency in northern Mozambique has claimed more than 6,000 lives and forced over one million people to flee their homes, according to data from humanitarian agencies.
Despite recent military collaborations between Mozambique and Rwanda to contain the insurgency, the attacks have continued, deepening fears of growing extremism in southern Africa.
Human rights group Open Doors reports that Mozambique now ranks as the 37th most dangerous country in the world to be a Christian, with over 100 churches and Christian buildings attacked or shut down in the past year alone.
The situation mirrors a broader crisis in Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, where thousands of Christians have been killed by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, as well as by armed herdsmen in the country’s Middle Belt region.
International observers have accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect vulnerable communities despite repeated promises.
Senator Risch’s statement adds to growing calls for Western governments and international bodies to take concrete action against religious persecution in Africa.
While urging global intervention, he criticised the silence of political elites who, according to him, exploit religion and ethnicity to sustain power and fuel division.
His remarks have reignited debate over the continent’s worsening security crisis, where millions of Christians continue to live under constant threat of violence, displacement, and neglect.
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