The Voice of the suffering in Africa

A local priest also tells ACN that jihadists have taken to kidnapping children as part of their insurgency.  Almost 50,000 people have been displaced in the most recent round of attacks in the northern region of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, namely at the end of July and in the first week of August, according to United Nations staff on the ground.  “Between July 20-28, the Diocese of Pemba was particularly impacted by the new wave of brutal attacks, especially the districts ...

Bishop of Bunia: “We need support for displaced priests.”  Following the brutal attack carried out on the night of July 26-27 in the town of Komanda, in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the local Church has raised its voice in condemnation and pain. The attack, which occurred at around two in the morning at the parish of Bienheureuse Anuarite, in the territory of Irumu, in the Diocese of Bunia, resulted in the death of dozens of Christians, ...

A Catholic priest has given a harrowing account of how he nearly lost an eye after being kidnapped by armed extremists in Nigeria and held captive for 51 days.  Father Alphonsus Afina was kidnapped by Islamist terrorists Boko Haram on June 1, 2025.  He was viciously beaten, with his belongings stolen and car torched, before being held captive with other survivors in a remote mountain area. The priest was finally released on July 21, when he returned to his diocese in ...

At least 40 people, including many children, were killed in a massacre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the early hours of Sunday, July 27. The attack took place in the east of the country, in the location of Komanda, Ituri. According to information gathered by pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the victims were killed by militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a terrorist group that has pledged loyalty to the Islamic State ...

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International joyfully announces the release of Fr. Alphonsus Afina, a priest of the Diocese of Maiduguri, Nigeria, who had been abducted on June 1, 2025 by armed militants and spent 51 days in captivity. His release, along with ten women who were also held captive, was confirmed directly to ACN by local Church sources.  Speaking to ACN, Bishop John Bakeni, the Auxiliary Bishop of Maiduguri, Nigeria, expressed gratitude for the solidarity and prayers ...

Religious communities in Nigeria are facing ongoing, systematic, and egregious violations of their ability to practice their faith, says a US human rights monitor. A July 21 update from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) found that the Nigerian government’s enforcement of blasphemy laws and an increase in violent attacks by nonstate entities targeting religious communities “constitute significant restrictions on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB),” USCIRF’s new report stated. The report said that 12 Nigerian states ...