Christians in Chad are facing increasing levels of persecution from local officials and violence from Islamist militant group Boko Haram and Muslim extremist herdsmen, it was reported in early April.
In March, violence erupted in the Tandjile region resulting in the torching of several villages, the closing of markets, and many deaths. The International Federation for Human Rights also reported that Boko Haram activities are increasing in south-western Chad where many Christian farming communities live.
There has been political instability in Chad for many years; and the US State Department for Human Rights highlighted the ‘use of torture; arbitrary arrest and detention, incommunicado detention, and lengthy pre-trial detention; denial of fair public trial; and executive influence on the judiciary’ by the Government. Under its Constitution, Chad is a secular state. Churches must be registered, and failure to do so can lead to a prison sentence.
