Healing begins after Nigeria massacre

In June 2025, thousands of people from Yelwata, a Christian village in Benue State, Nigeria, faced the unthinkable: Militant Fulani herdsmen attacked, killing hundreds and forcing thousands of people to flee. The violence was brutal, swift and staggering.

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.

The conditions of the camp were difficult. Sleeping quarters were cramped, and access to food was sometimes uncertain. Christians needed help and asked the world to pay attention.

And that’s the prayer you helped answer! Thanks to your gifts and prayers, Open Doors partners were able to provide immediate emergency aid to many displaced believers, including those mourning loved ones killed in the attacks.

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

Through our local partners, we’ve also provided extensive trauma care and counseling to Yelwata believers, helping to heal the wounds left behind when people lose so much. “I was so bitter, and with the rage I used to feel inside, I would hurt others without even knowing,” Mary says. “I always thought God had treated me badly. But after the trauma care program, all the bitterness, anger and overthinking faded away. I finally found peace.”

Even now, after so much time has passed, the displaced Christians in the camp face a difficult choice. Life in the camp is hard but generally safe. But the Nigerian army has said they are ready to protect the villagers if they want to return to their village—even as the area is still home to many militants.

Ajia, another displaced believer from Yelwata, made the decision to return home with her family. She has experienced the tension firsthand. “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 your support also helps Open Doors partners continue to deliver food aid to people like Ajia who have lost access to their land. Many of the residents of Yelwata 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.”

What Ajia and Mary have endured is the situation facing thousands of Christians in Nigeria—and millions of believers across sub-Saharan Africa. Violence is driving people out of their homes, leaving countless dead and shaking the stability of the church.

It’s why Open Doors started the Arise Africa campaign, and why Christians in sub-Saharan Africa challenged all of us to raise a million voices of support and prayer. When the violence is this big, our response must be huge. Will you join us?

Your support helps 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’s 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.