About Christian persecution in Mali
It used to be that persecution was mainly towards Muslim background believers (MBBs) and from their tribes and families when their faith became known. Ironically as this began to get better jihadists arrived around ten years ago, armed with weapons from the Libyan breakdown in 2010, and organized by Islamic State fighters fleeing the Middle East. A cell group from the Islamic State in the Maghreb (AQIM) began to occupy parts of northern Mali and targeted all foreigners, of which many were Christians involved in healthcare and education.
This group has pushed steadily southwards where Christians are more concentrated and allied themselves with the Tuareg tribe who seek independence. There have been two coups in the space of two years in 2020 and 2021, and a military government tries to beat back the jihadists, but the population is caught in the middle. Says a Christian leader, “If you are a Christian in the north of the country, you are thinking of fleeing if you have not already – churches have been torched, Christian girls are at constant risk of kidnapping, and outreach is the most hazardous activity possible.”
