Central African Republic (CAR)

Christians have suffered greatly from the conflict that began in December 2012, when several Muslim groups — primarily fighters from the Chad and western Sudan border region — formed a coalition called Seleka. The coalition marched on the capital, raiding and looting predominantly Christian villages along the way. Though Seleka was short-lived, being disbanded in September 2013, ex-Seleka militants spread throughout the country, forming splinter militias and often maintaining an Islamist agenda. Christians have been among the most vulnerable in the country’s conflict, at times being driven from their homes and villages as attackers loot and destroy their homes and churches. In one town, 58,000 Christians who had been displaced by repeated attacks since 2012 were still living in refugee camps, and all churches within a 60-mile radius of the town had been destroyed. Those who wander outside the town to tend their farms — their only livelihood — have been at significant risk of attack. Churches are often the only ones caring for the hundreds of thousands who have been displaced in the conflict. While the CAR’s conflict has presented opportunities for Christians to display Christ’s love to a ravaged nation, indigenous churches need support from the larger body of Christ.