Franklin Graham Says Christians Are Being Hunted in Africa as the World Looks Away
While the world debates economics and politics, Christians in Africa are being hunted and killed, says Franklin Graham.
Graham said over the weekend that the persecution of Christians in Africa by radical Muslims deserves far more attention than it has received, as he urged the global body of Christ to pray for their brothers and sisters who face danger there every single day.
"While the news focuses on tariffs and other things, the world is strangely silent about the slaughter of Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by Muslim jihadists," Graham wrote on social media.
Graham referenced the 49 Christians who were killed in July during a night prayer vigil at a church in Komanda, a town in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, when suspected Islamist militants attacked the church and surrounding area, according to Open Doors. An eyewitness told Fox News that the militants decapitated at least nine children.
The assault, believed to be carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), is part of a wave of violence in July that left at least 80 people dead in the region and many others displaced or abducted. The ADF, linked to Islamic State, is "targeting Christians," said Illia Djadi of Open Doors.
"Can you imagine the horror? And this isn't an isolated incident -- it's ongoing," Graham wrote. "Over 4,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria over the last year. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 16 million Christians have fled their homes because of the incredible violence. One person said, 'The church is on the run.'"
In February, Islamic militants, also believed to be from the ADF and linked to the Islamic State, rounded up 70 Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, took them to a church in Kasanga, and brutally killed them using machetes and hammers, according to Open Doors. The violence began early in the morning in the predominantly Christian village of Mayba, where militants went door to door abducting residents before surrounding the village and capturing dozens more.
In June, more than 200 Christian civilians -- including children and the elderly -- were killed in coordinated attacks by armed Muslim Fulani militants in Nigeria, according to International Christian Concern.
"Join me in praying for these Christians," Graham wrote. "I am thankful that President Donald J. Trump and the White House have condemned these killings and are working to defend religious freedom around the world."
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Justin Sullivan/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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Originally published August 04, 2025.
