Countries

Burkina Faso

Only a handful of countries have a lower per-capita GDP than Burkina Faso, yet it carried itself through a peaceful election following a 2014 coup. The constitution promises religious freedom, and religious organisations must register with the government. Even as the Muslim population increased rapidly, little had happened in Burkina . . . Read More

Cameroon

A former agrarian colony of the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Cameroon was transformed by the discovery of oil in the 1970s. President Paul Biya, in power since 1982, has yet to deliver a state where rule of law is respected, pluralism flourishes, and freedom of expression and assembly are . . . Read More

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic has yet to fully emerge from a civil war fought partly along religious lines. Although the Islamist rebel group, Séléka, has been driven out of many parts of the country, attacks against Christians continue in the capital, Bangui, and in the mainly Muslim northeast. Christians have . . . Read More

Chad

There has been political instability in Chad for many years, and the US State Department for Human Rights has highlighted the “use of torture; arbitrary arrest and detention, incommunicado detention, and lengthy pre-trial detention; denial of fair public trial; and executive influence on the judiciary” by the government. Under its constitution, . . . Read More

China

With nearly 100 million Christians, the Church is the largest social force in China not controlled by the Communist Party. As a result, there are increasing efforts to restrict the way Christians operate. A considerable number of Christians are still imprisoned. Church meetings continue to be disrupted in several provinces. . . . Read More

Colombia

Although Colombia is a democracy where religious freedom is enshrined in law, large areas of the country are still controlled by criminal organisations, drug cartels and paramilitary groups, even after the peace deal with the FARC. Christians are seen as a threat to these groups, as they represent an alternative way . . . Read More

Comoros

Comoros’s Constitution grounds all public policy in Islamic beliefs. Propagating any religion except Islam is illegal; converts to Christianity can be prosecuted and face intense social backlash, leaving them little option but to practise their faith underground. Despite a trend towards democracy, the influence of radical Islam is growing. Radical . . . Read More

Cuba

Cuba may be starting to open itself up to the outside world, but the government “continues to repress dissent and discourage public criticism”, according to Human Rights Watch. “Repressive tactics employed by the government include beatings, public acts of shaming, and the termination of employment.” Still, as in China, the . . . Read More

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Born as Zaire (renamed in 1997), possessing vast mineral riches and nearly unanimously Christian, the DRC has followed a familiar African pattern: Western colonisation followed by independence, civil war, fragmentation and dictatorship. The current situation, as summed up by Freedom House: “political corruption, weak rule of law, and violence”. For . . . Read More

Djibouti

The government of President Ismail Omar Guelleh, in power since 1999, seeks to control all aspects of society by stifling freedom of association, religion and expression. Christians from a Muslim background in particular face persecution from their families and other community members. As in other East African countries, radical Islam is . . . Read More