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The persecution of Christians in almost all the countries in the African continent continues unabated. Earlier it was observed in Burkina Faso, then in Nigeria and so many other African countries that fall outside the media coverage. This time the Catholic Charity Foundation Has Revealed “a worsening situation” of Christian Persecution in Mali’s Mopti Region

The Correspondent of RECOWACERAOE NEWS AGENCY, RECONA based in Bamako, the political capital of Mali in the Upper Volta region has reported that the Catholic Foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, has revealed what it has described as “a worsening situation” of Christian persecution in the West African nation of Mali.

In a Tuesday, October 29 ACN report, ACN has relied on “confidential sources”, who have given testimonies of Christian persecution that takes the form of discrimination against community members identifying with the person of Jesus Christ.

The discrimination ACN established from “reliable sources who prefer to remain anonymous for security reasons” has been taking place in the Mopti region of Mali, specifically in Douna-Pen, “the largest Christian village” in the East, and in the township of Dougouténé, where the Catholic charity says the incident of discrimination was first witnessed.

“An Islamist extremist group active in the region (Mopti) is reportedly demanding a tax of 25,000 CFA francs (about $40) from all Christian adults over the age of 18,” ACN reports about the payment of “jizya”, described as “a kind of religious tax”.

Referring to the targeted Christians, ACN adds in its October 29 report, “This payment would now be a condition of practicing their religion freely.”

According to the anonymous sources, the Islamic extremists have been collecting the money from the Christian adults “with total impunity a few days ago” and persons “unable or unwilling to obey would have been warned of the alternative: the forced closure of their places of worship.”

There is fear among residents of Mali’s Mopti region that the Christian persecution that started off in the township of Dougouténé and currently in the village of Douna-Pen “will spread to other villages, further threatening religious freedom and local security,” ACN report indicates.

To justify the fear among residents of the affected region of the West African nation, the report explains that “earlier, Islamic extremists had already demanded the closure of churches, Protestant and Catholic, in Douna-Pen. For a time, an uneasy peace allowed residents to practice their faith, albeit without the use of musical instruments during worship services, a clear restriction on their religious freedoms.”

Describing the situation in the Mopti region as “already precarious”, the ACN report has the testimony of one of the anonymous sources, who, referring to the religious tax targeting Christian adults, said, “We believe we are living in a secular state where such practices should not thrive but, unfortunately, it is becoming our new reality.”

“If the authorities do not act, the population will pay taxes directly to the coffers of terrorists, who act under the banner of jihadism in the Republic of Mali,” the source is quoted as further saying.

The source painted a grim picture of growing crime in the Mopti region, saying, “We know that the country is big and actions are being carried out in other places. But if nothing is done in this area, in the short term, the consequences will be disastrous! People here are being killed like rats!”

The ACN October 29 report has the same source appealing for action on the part of the Malian government to take “immediate action” to put an end to the financial extortion that has targeted Christians with the potentiality to trigger “a religious conflict”.

“This is the cry of a citizen who still believes in the Republic of Mali and its leaders,” the source told ACN, and added, “We need immediate action to prevent a religious conflict from taking root in this country. May God help us.”

Rev. Fr. George Nwachukwu
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