Two violent attacks against Christian religious leaders and their communities in Africa underscore the ongoing threats faced by believers in the region, according to reports from International Christian Concern.
In the Central African Republic, Fr. Crépin Martial Monga, vicar of St. John the Baptist Parish in Zémio, was shot and killed on June 29 by unidentified gunmen while driving to his parish residence. The attackers shot Fr. Monga in the head and also wounded a parishioner who was traveling with him. That individual’s condition remains critical.
The day before the attack, Fr. Monga had baptized 175 believers along the banks of the Mbomou River. Of those baptized, 160 were Christians from his parish who had recently been displaced due to ongoing violence in the region. According to International Christian Concern, Fr. Monga spent the hours before his death with the newly baptized parishioners.
Beyond his pastoral duties, Fr. Monga was actively involved in regional peacebuilding work. He served on the Local Committee for Peace and Reconciliation, where he worked to promote dialogue, social cohesion, and reconciliation among communities affected by violence. No group has claimed responsibility for his killing.
Nigerian Pastor’s Family Kidnapped by Armed Militants
In Nigeria’s Borno state, the wife and three children of Pastor Moses Guguma were abducted by suspected Islamic militants while traveling to join him in Damasak. The family was traveling in a commercial vehicle on the Maiduguri-Damasak highway when armed men stopped the vehicle near a military checkpoint in Kareto village.
According to an eyewitness account provided to International Christian Concern, the gunmen ordered Pastor Guguma’s wife and children to leave the vehicle but allowed the driver and other passengers to continue their journey because they were Muslims. The militants then took the family into the bush. The incident occurred near a Nigerian Army checkpoint, raising questions about security response in the area.
Pastor Guguma, who leads the congregation of the Church of Christ in All Nations in Damasak, said his wife had recently recovered from an illness and had just been discharged from the hospital. She was traveling to his ministry station when the abduction occurred.
The identities of the attackers have not been confirmed, though the tactics are consistent with operations by Boko Haram or the Islamic State of West Africa Province, both of which operate in the region.
Pattern of Violence Against Christians in Africa
Nigeria remains one of the most dangerous countries for Christians worldwide. According to the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa, nearly 30,000 Nigerian Christians died as a result of Islamic violence and religiously motivated persecution during a six-year period beginning in 2020.
In the Central African Republic, Coptic Solidarity warned in 2024 about Islamic radicals carrying out attacks in the country, though political violence also contributes to instability in the region.
The recent attacks follow a pattern of violence targeting Christian communities, religious leaders, and their families across multiple African nations. While Christians in many Western countries practice their faith without fear of persecution, believers in parts of Africa face threats of abduction, displacement, and death.
The two incidents highlight the twin threats facing Christian communities in the region: targeted killings of religious leaders and the systematic abduction of believers and their families. In both cases, the attacks disrupted pastoral ministry and caused trauma for congregations already living under the threat of violence.
Source: pjmedia.com — https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/07/26/gunmen-kill-priest-who-baptized-175-converts-and-jihadis-abduct-pastors-family-n4955469
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