“Your generosity has reached us” – starting the healing in Nigeria

Following a horrific attack last year, Christians in Nigeria are starting to heal, helped by your generosity. Thank you!

Christians affected by brutal violence in Nigeria last year are starting to heal, thanks to your generosity.

In June 2025, radicalised Fulani militants attacked the Christian village of Yelwata, Benue State, killing hundreds and displacing thousands.

Many displaced believers found refuge in a market building in the town of Markudi. Initially, the market was built to help boost the economy, but out of necessity, it has become a makeshift camp for people driven from their homes by violence.

Like so many displacement camps in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa, the conditions are very difficult, compounding believers’ suffering. Sleeping quarters are cramped and food cannot be guaranteed.

Anger and bitterness fade away

Thankfully, your support meant that Open Doors local partners could provide emergency relief aid to many displaced Christians, including those mourning the loss of loved ones.

“After we fled from our homes to this place, we couldn’t eat properly,” says Mary, a displaced mother. “Thank you very much for this food that you have given me. It will feed me and my family for a good while.”

The partners have also provided extensive trauma care to believers, helping heal the unspeakable wounds they carry from the awful attack.

“I was so bitter, and with the rage I used to feel inside, I would hurt others without even knowing,” Mary continues. “I always thought God had treated me badly. But after the trauma care programme, all the bitterness, anger and overthinking faded away. I finally found peace.”

A difficult choice

More than a year since the attack, those displaced now face a difficult choice. Life in the camp is hard, but generally safe. The Nigerian army has said they are ready to protect the villagers if they want to return home, even as the area remains infiltrated by militants.

Ajia, another displaced believer, has decided to return home with her family. She has experienced the tension first-hand. “We don’t live in peace here, because the Fulani militants are still nearby,” she explains. “We cannot walk to our farm fields, because they might attack us when we go there. We cannot collect water from the river, because we are very scared of Fulani militants.”

This is why, with your continued support, local partners continue to deliver food aid to people like Ajia who have lost access to their land. Many of Yelwata’s residents are subsistence farmers, meaning that if they can’t plant or harvest their crops, they go hungry.

“Thank you, brothers and sisters, for your help,” Ajia shares. “From the moment we fled Yelwata for the camp, until our return, food was a constant struggle. But now, your generosity has reached us. Even here, we have received your food aid.”

Seeing God’s hand

Ajia and Mary’s stories are not unusual. Across sub-Saharan Africa, millions of believers have been gravely affected by violence, with thousands killed and many more displaced. The church in the region is calling on their global family to join them in prayer and advocacy over this escalating and urgent problem – and that’s why the Arise Africa campaign is so crucial.

Your support is helping to stop the violence and start the healing. Mary and Ajia are proof of this. But more than just the physical help, you’re also ensuring they and other Christians facing persecution in sub-Saharan Africa can remain resilient. Thanks to your gifts and prayers, they can see God work in their lives.

“I truly see God’s hand upon my family,” Mary says. “Without Him, we wouldn’t have survived. He continues to provide for us and protect us every day.”

Thank for your continued prayer and gifts for your sisters and brothers who risk so much to follow Jesus.