NIGER: CHRISTIANS IN VILLAGE ORDERED TO PAY A ‘JIZYA’ TAX

Please pray for CHRISTIANS LIVING IN a region in Niger under jihadist control that is forcing BELIEVERS to pay a tax or leave the area.

On Tuesday, 16 April, jihadists summoned people in the marketplace of La Tapoa, a village near the Niger-Burkina-Faso border, and announced that, as of that day, all males 15 years and older who refuse to convert to Islam, are required to pay  Jizya  to them.  Jizya is a tax, according to Islamic law, levied against non-Muslim inhabitants within Muslim states. 

On 2 May, Christians began leaving their villages and are now taking refuge in Makalondi town, about 200 kilometres away. Currently around 357 Christian families  have left their villages.

The law would apply to all the villages under jihadist control. According to Open Doors’ contacts, all villagers were strongly advised to convert to Islam if they want to remain living in the villages, and whoever does not want to convert to Islam must pay 50,000 CFA (about £62) as tax. 

Should they pay, they are allowed to continue living in the village but will live as slaves with their families. All their property will automatically become the jihadists’. Those who do not want to convert to Islam or pay Jizya can leave the village but are not allowed to take anything with them except the clothes they are wearing.  

“When the Jihadists came, they said all Christians must pay 50,000 CFA. If they cannot afford to pay, they must accept Islam”, a pastor only known as Yandi told an Open Doors’ partner.  

Open Doors’ partners have confirmed that, until now, the jihadists have visited six other villages in the Tillabéri region to implement their new law.  

Image: A photo taken in Niger last year – these men have been displaced because of the activity of local jihadist groups

NO SHELTER FOR DISPLACED CHRISTIANS 

“Because of that we fled and came here with nothing, we couldn’t bring our food here. For us to get a place here is very difficult, we don’t even have a shelter to stay…” Pastor Yalitchoi explained.  

For now, Christians huddle together under trees, seeking shelter from the hot sun. However, our partners share that soon the rainy season will come and make life even more difficult for the displaced believers in Makalondi.

Security conditions in Niger have deteriorated in recent years, particularly in the areas bordering Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Mali, where armed groups have established bases and carry out repeated attacks against the security forces and civilians. Jihadists target Christians and Animists in the villages, and as a result, tens of thousands of people have fled their villages since the beginning of the insurgency.