The Voice of the suffering in Africa

A plea for government in northern Nigeria to re-think the sudden and unprecedented closure of schools during Ramadan is coming from a bishop concerned for the hundreds of thousands of children affected.  Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa of Katsina said it came as “a complete surprise” when governors in his state, as well as Kano, Kebbi, and Bauchi, announced that all schools – both private and public – would close for the month-long Islamic season of fasting and spiritual growth. Speaking ...

Since 2021, the Diocese of Kafanchan in Nigeria has seen at least one pastoral agent murdered every year.  The bishop of the Diocese of Kafanchan in Kaduna State, Nigeria, has expressed his “deep sorrow and righteous indignation” over the abduction and subsequent murder of one of his priests.   Father Sylvester Okechukwu was abducted from his residence on March 4th and found murdered in the early hours of March 5th, though it is unclear why his kidnappers decided to kill him.   ...

In South Sudan, where walking long distances is usually a sign of distress, an annual pilgrimage for peace is raising questions and changing attitudes. When Pope Francis announced his visit to South Sudan in 2022, young Catholics in the Diocese of Rumbek were naturally excited. “They kept saying they wanted to go and see him,” Sister Orla Treacy, an Irish religious with the Loreto Sisters, tells Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).   In a country like South Sudan, however, ...

This year alone, five priests and two religious sisters have been kidnapped in Nigeria. Besides Father Sylvester Okechukwu, who was murdered, two remain missing, while the other four were released.  A Catholic priest was kidnapped and murdered in the Diocese of Kafanchan, in Nigeria.  Father Sylvester Okechukwu was taken from his residence on the evening of March 4th, according to a statement released by the diocese. He was found murdered in the early hours of March 5th, the same document ...

Over 70 bodies were found in a Protestant church in a village in Lubero, North Kivu, according to local sources contacted by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).  The killings took place between February 12th and 15th, in a village called Maiba, near Lubero, North Kivu. On February 12th, rebels from an Islamist terrorist group, originally from Uganda, entered the village and took approximately 100 people hostage, ACN’s sources say.   “On February 15th, 70 bodies ...

Although the country now enjoys a fragile peace, there is still insecurity, leading bishops in the Central African Republic to ask the international community not to forget the African nation. The Church, they say, will continue to play its prophetic role.  A unique spirit of dialogue and cooperation between Christian and Muslim leaders set the foundations for peace in the Central African Republic (CAR), following a brutal civil war. In this respect, the CAR stands in stark contrast to nearby ...