World in Brief

A Christian family is being pressurised by neighbouring Muslims to drop charges against their relative, who sodomised their six-year-old daughter. The girl had been in the Muslim family’s home for a tutoring lesson by the attacker’s sister, having received lessons there for several months, before he assaulted her.

Students had been left with the accused man, who is in his early 20s, when his sister went to do jobs around the house. The girl’s father revealed to Morning Star News that he then allowed the other students to leave the home before raping her in another room.

Thirteen people have been kidnapped from the First Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in the Kogi West Senatorial District in Nigeria during an attack which saw shots fired during a Sunday service. A state official told the media that a task force was quickly set up to search for the victims, and that security at vulnerable locations was tightened.

The official also revealed that five of the attackers were killed in a firefight as the abduction took place, as reported by Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The latest attack follows another recent attack on a church in the region, and a failed attack on a school.

Donald Trump’s US administration has struck a five-year deal with Nigeria which it hopes will see Christian healthcare workers better supported. The agreement will place a “strong emphasis on Christian faith-based healthcare providers” and follows the US’s recent designation of the nation as a “country of particular concern”.

Premier Christian News reports that the deal will see the US spend over $2 billion on medical services relating to prevention and cure of various diseases, while the Nigerian authorities will increase health spending to almost $3 billion.

A pastor in eastern Uganda has been seriously wounded by five Muslims who attacked him with sharp objects. Joseph Kanooni had been praying alone in his church when his attackers arrived, accusing him of misleading local children by advising that they should go to church, according to Morning Star News.

Kanooni revealed that he tried to stop the assailants, two of whom he was able to identify, but was overpowered and awoke in hospital, having initially been found, badly injured, by church members.

A Protestant pastor in northern Colombia has been shot dead by armed assailants. The incident has led Christian Solidarity Worldwide to again call for the authorities to provide religious leaders in Colombia with greater protection.

The man had been celebrating the beginning of 2026 with his family in the Santa Elena area of Fundación Municipality, Magdalena Department, Colombia. He died in a medical clinic while receiving treatment.

A 42-year-old evangelist in eastern Uganda has been killed by Muslims after he participated as a lead speaker at a church event centred on discussion between Christians and Muslims. Konkona Kasimu had converted from Islam to Christianity and had brought other Muslims to Christ.

According to Morning Star News, Kasimu had helped at several such events in various areas. His Muslim attackers became angry when they discovered that several Muslims at the event publicly converted to Christianity, prompting the attack.

At least ten people have died and many Christians have fled as violence between Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian army has increased in Aleppo, Syria. Both sides accuse each other of prompting the escalation in the north of the city.

Thousands of civilians are believed to have fled from the city amidst bombings carried out by the national army. Open Doors reports that many believers, who have long faced an uncertain future following Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)’s rise to power, are believed to have fled, with many seeking refuge from friends and churches.

People from local churches across Albania supported relief efforts amidst flooding in several areas. The nation was hit by heavy rainfall which, coupled with overflowing rivers and rising water levels, left buildings, including churches, underwater in several communities.

Evangelical Focus reports that church members tried to help desperate people, but many of their buildings were damaged and resources lost. The Albanian Evangelical Alliance (VUSH) has called for believers to pray for the nation.

Luke Randall

The number of evangelical worship places in Spain has increased during 2025, with its total of 4,763 securing it as the nation’s largest minority religion behind Catholicism. New statistics from the Observatory of Religious Pluralism showed that Evangelicalism retains a clear majority over Islam, which boasts less than 2,000 places of worship.

Researchers claim that religious pluralism is on the rise in Spain, with most minority religions enjoying an increase in worship places across the nation. Evangelicalism was particularly prevalent in Catalonia, which hosts over 1,000 venues.

Luke Randall

Prison Fellowship International says its in-prison evangelism programme has reached a milestone, graduating its one millionth participant since the initiative launched, Christian Daily reports.

The organisation announced on 12 January that more than one million incarcerated men and women worldwide have completed “The Prisoner’s Journey”, an eight-week, faith-based course centred on the Gospel of Mark.

Christian Daily