Feb 9, 2023

USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Concerns in Central Africa

 

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

Religious Freedom Concerns in Central Africa – This factsheet highlights challenges facing freedom of religion or belief in several countries in Central Africa, such as Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroon, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The politicization of religious identity and infrastructure in civil conflicts in Central Africa poses significant risks for religious freedom in the region. Ethnoreligious tensions in CAR have yielded human rights abuses based on ethnoreligious identity. In the context of Cameroon’s secessionist conflict, both government and rebel actors have targeted houses of worship and religious leaders with violence and intimidation. In DRC, religious and non-religious armed groups in the east of the country have attacked houses of worship, while the government has failed to protect vulnerable religious actors from violence. U.S. embassies and the U.S. Department of State regional bureaus setting policy in the region should strengthen efforts to promote freedom of religion or belief in the context of these political crises and violent conflicts.

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department include CAR on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. USCIRF also discussed the deterioration of religious freedom conditions in CAR, especially for Muslim minorities, in an episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast.

###

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].