West Africa (MNN) — The Islamic State continues to grow and get more organized in West Africa. The group has seized a lot of territory, especially in Chad, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Read more here.
Greg Musselman of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada says other terrorist groups in Africa look up to the Islamic State, and many times even partner with it. “They’re just looking at places in Africa where there’s a lot of social problems, economic problems, and corruption. They see these young men, especially, that are targets for them. And many of them say, ‘No, we don’t want to get involved in these extremist groups.’ But they are just getting wooed in by this group. They’re either forced in or they’re lured in.”
As the Islamic State uses disorder for its own ends, pray for the stability of these countries.
Pray also for the Christian communities in the region, many of whom have suffered the worst of the violence. Musselman says, “Families have been ripped apart. We continue to hear of these schools, especially in northern Nigeria, where 140 children were recently kidnapped. And, again, it may be for religious reasons, trying to really hamper the growth of the Church. But it’s also got to do with the ransom, because of the economic situations that are going on in these places.”
Header photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
