Open Doors UK & Ireland is calling on Christians to “make history” by gathering a million signatures for a petition against deadly sectarian attacks in sub-Saharan Africa.
The “Arise Africa” petition notes that on average 12 Christians are killed because of their faith every day in the region. The petition calls for greater efforts to protect believers from deadly attacks and for perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The petition also calls for efforts to promote “healing and restoration” to communities affected by violence.
Every year Open Doors publishes a list of the world’s 50 countries where Christians are persecuted the most. In its 2026 watch list, 17 of the 50 countries were in Africa. Five African countries were in the top ten.
Among these are Somalia, which is ranked behind only North Korea for its persecution of Christians. The country is, according to Open Doors, “one of the harshest environments in the world” for Christians, thanks largely to the militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab.
Also of concern is Nigeria, ranked 7th by Open Doors. While Somalia is home to only a few hundred Christians, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and is more or less evenly split between Christians and Muslims.
Violence by Islamic groups and religiously unaffiliated bandits kills more Christians in the country every year than all other countries combined. Of the 12 Christians killed on average each day in sub-Saharan Africa, most will be Nigerian.
Open Doors said it planned to present its petition to the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and to national governments.
Tiffany Barrans, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland, said, “This is a defining moment. One million signatures would send an unmistakable message to the UK Government and world leaders that the suffering of African Christians cannot be ignored.
"Every signature counts, and the UK Church can help make the difference in these final days.”
At the time of writing, the petition had secured over 919,600 signatures.
