Afghanistan is perhaps best known as the birthplace of the Islamic extremist group, the Taliban. Originally a group of radical Islamic scholars, the founders of the Taliban intended to bring political and economic stability to the nation after nearly two decades of conflict. However, its radical practices brought oppression and the country’s poverty worsened.  The subsequent 20 years of military intervention from international troops protected the development of an elected government. However, troop withdrawals in mid-2021 saw a rapid collapse and a return of the Taliban to power, prompting one of the most extreme large-scale evacuations of foreigners and vulnerable national staff. More than 2 million refugees have sought shelter in neighboring nations. Since the Taliban returned to power, the economy has failed to recover. Combined with the global food and fuel insecurity as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Afghanistan is now on the brink of famine.

Salva Kiir Mayardit is the President. and Abdalla Hamdok was appointed as Prime Minister by the Sovereignty Council on 21 August 2019, as part of the country’s transition to democracy.

South Sudan, a nation of roughly 11 million people, is seen as one of the most diverse nations in the region, consisting of more than 60 different ethnic groups. Around 60% of its population identifies as Christian. Although it attained independence from Sudan in 2011, in recent years, political disputes have largely fallen along ethnic lines. South Sudan is only recently emerging from a devastating, multiyear civil war. However, it has been mired in political instability and violence since 2013. Although the new outbreak of war caught the Church unprepared in South Sudan, it has played a major role in protecting people and mobilizing humanitarian support, and in mediating local peace and reconciliation processes rebuilding the capacity of the nation.

Sudan stays in 13th position in the World Watch report 2022 by Open Doors for Christian persecution. Chairman/ Presidential Standard of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of Sudan- Incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Burhan since 25 October 2021. Prime Minister of the Republic of Sudan- Incumbent Osman Hussein (Acting) since 19 January 2022. Persecution of Christians remains incredibly high in Sudan and hasn’t changed much in the last year. Christians have been treated badly for their faith in Christ. They have endured hate speech and terrible abhorrence. As it was illegal for Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men, many such people were forced into reconversion. In many areas, the Churches were vandalized and burned down. Although the majority are Muslim, there is a substantial Christian minority in Sudan. The new transition government is trying to gain recognition on the international stage and is working to provide protection for religious minorities. Many Sudanese Christians welcome the changes, while others say it’s too late. And still, others say the country has a long way to go to demonstrate acceptance of them and other religious minorities.