“Support us or flee”: Islamic extremists issue ultimatum to Mali Christians

Christians in central Mali have been given an ultimatum by terrorists – help in their fight against the country’s military power or leave their homes and communities.

Pastors in Mopti region were summoned by the Islamic extremists and given three options if they wanted to stay in the area, according to Open Doors sources. Their three options were:

• provide men to fight against the army
• give the jihadists money to hire mercenaries, or
• convert to Islam and close their churches.

The pastors were told that, if they failed to comply, they should leave their homes immediately. The implication was clearly a threat of violence if they did not – and violence from Islamic militants is the major cause of persecution against Christians in Mali. It is currently number 14 on the World Watch List, having risen three places in the past year.
 
 

“Nothing has happened on this scale before”

“Christians are very worried about this new development and are taking the threat seriously,” says Pastor Charles Yabaga Diarra*, who fled his hometown of Timbuktu in 2012 when it fell to Tuareg rebels, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA).

  He adds, “Nothing has happened on this scale before. Because the jihadists conquered the land, they feel it belongs to them, so they are telling the Christians to pay them a Zakat tax which is an Islamic tithe. Muslims and animists are already paying it.”

It is not clear which terrorist group summoned the pastors, but they are most likely to have been from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM).

The devastation that began in 2012, when radical Islamic groups seized control of the northern regions, continues to have a lingering impact. According to Open Doors research, churches were razed, and Christians were displaced, leaving them homeless and their places of worship in ruins.

“In some areas in Central Mali, schools have been closed for four years,” says Pastor Charles. “People are not able to farm and are living under intense pressure.”
 
 

Coups and violence

Since 2012, Mali has suffered from three military coups and has struggled to control Islamic groups operating in the north of the country.

  “There is a real sense of fear for Christians living in the Mopti and Segu regions which have been taken over by Islamic extremists,” says an Open Doors spokesperson. “They face an impossible choice either serving the wishes of extremist Islamic fighters or being driven out of their homes. Thousands of displaced Christians who are now living in Bamako might feel safer but they have lost everything – their livelihood and homelands.”

Please pray for Mali Christians facing these impossible choices – and you can use your voice to amplify theirs, by signing the Arise Africa petition. In response to the 16.2 million Christians displaced by violence and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa, the petition calls for protection, justice and restoration for persecuted and vulnerable Christians. Your prayers and signature can help stop the violence and start the healing – in Mali, and across the region.

Give your support. Sign the petition. Share a prayer.