🔥🕊️ Militia Launches Attack on Church in Haiti

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SPECIAL REPORT

Church Massacre Shocks Haitian Christian Community

On May 20, 2025, violence erupted in Preval, Artibonite, where self-defense militias launched a brutal attack that claimed the lives of over 20 civilians. Among the most harrowing aspects of the assault was the execution of 14 people inside a Baptist church—a sanctuary turned into a site of massacre.

Sacred Space Desecrated: The Maranatha Church Attack

The Maranatha Baptist Church, a place of worship and refuge, became the epicenter of horror as armed assailants stormed the building and executed 14 worshippers. The victims included an 86-year-old pastor, whose long-standing role in the community symbolized peace and faith. The attack reportedly came in retaliation for the killing of a Jean Denis coalition member, but it indiscriminately targeted innocent civilians gathered in a holy place.

This incident underscores the vulnerability of Christian communities in regions plagued by lawlessness and gang rivalry. Churches, once regarded as safe havens, are increasingly caught in the crossfire of Haiti’s spiraling violence. The targeted nature of the Maranatha church massacre has rattled local congregations and sparked fears of further religiously-associated attacks.

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REGIONAL THREATS

AFRICA

• ZAGANI, NIGERIA – On May 18, 2025, gunmen suspected to be members of the Lakurawa gang attacked a church in Zagani village, Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, abducting several worshippers during Sunday service. The assailants arrived on motorcycles, opened fire to cause panic, and took an undisclosed number of congregants into the nearby forest. Local authorities have confirmed the incident, but the exact number of abductees remains unknown due to communication challenges in the area.

• GAROUA, CAMEROON – Father Valentin Mbaïbarem, parish priest of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church in Madingring, was released on May 16, 2025, after eight days in captivity. He was abducted on May 7 along with five others while traveling between Guidjiba and Tcholliré. During captivity, one hostage died due to mistreatment, and the kidnappers reportedly demanded a ransom of 25 million FCFA (approximately $42,750). The Archdiocese of Garoua stated it did not pay any ransom, though it is unclear if others did. Father Mbaïbarem is in good physical condition and has rejoined his parishioners.

• BORNO STATE, NIGERIA – On May 12, 2025, two Christian teachers from the Damboa Local Education Authority were killed when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device planted by Boko Haram militants along the Damboa–Maiduguri highway, near a Nigerian army base. The victims were transporting mangoes to Maiduguri at the time of the attack.

• PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA – On May 14, 2025, Fulani militants attacked predominantly Christian farming communities in Plateau State’s Middle Belt region, resulting in the deaths of eight Christians and the destruction of numerous farms.

MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA

• BEIRUT, LEBANON – Lebanese Internal Security Forces arrested three individuals for stealing religious artifacts and electrical equipment from Mar Abda Church in Jal El Dib on May 9, 2025. The suspects—two Syrians and one Lebanese, all with prior theft records—were apprehended on May 13 in the Bir Hassan area.

• TARTUS, SYRIA – On May 20, 2025, residents discovered an extremist poster affixed to the wall of the Syriac Maronite church in Tartus, demanding Christians convert to Islam or pay the ‘Jizya’ tax. The poster, bearing the phrase “The Umayyads passed through here,” declared all religions except Islam as false and warned of divine punishment for non-adherents.

• SIALKOT, PAKISTAN – On May 12, 2025, 35-year-old Christian labourer Kashif Masih was abducted, brutally tortured, and killed in Jamkay Cheema village, Sialkot district, following a false accusation of mobile phone theft. A former police officer, Malik Irfan, allegedly ordered the attack, which involved severe beatings and driving nails into Masih’s legs. Irfan has been arrested, but other suspects were released on bail, raising concerns about impunity and systemic persecution of Christians in Pakistan.

SOUTH & SOUTHEAST ASIA

• MAUBAN, PHILIPPINES – On May 19, 2025, a 40-year-old man threw Molotov cocktails into an Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) church in Mauban, Quezon, causing a fire that resulted in approximately ₱50,000 in damages. Church members managed to extinguish the fire, and the suspect, who fled after threatening further arson, was later arrested by local police and is facing charges of destructive arson.

• XIULIN TOWNSHIP, TAIWAN – On May 17, 2025, 29-year-old teacher Ms. Cai was found strangled to death in a church dormitory in Xiulin Township, Hualien. The discovery was prompted by a mysterious text sent from her phone to a group chat stating, “The female teacher has been murdered, go find her quickly.” Authorities found her body with signs of blunt force trauma and strangulation. A 26-year-old mute man, surnamed Liu and a fellow church member, was arrested and claimed the killing was accidental, though he denied any sexual assault. Liu had previously harassed Ms. Cai via LINE, sending explicit messages, and had been repeatedly asked to stop. He now faces murder charges and is in custody pending further investigation.

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN

• CRUZEIRO DO SUL, BRAZIL – On May 17, 2025, Military Police arrested a man suspected of stealing copper wires from air conditioning units at a local church. The suspect attempted to discard a bag containing copper wires and a pair of pliers upon noticing the police but was apprehended approximately one kilometer from the crime scene.

• SAN BARTOLO DE BERRIOS, MEXICO – On May 19, 2025, seven young men, including two minors, were fatally shot in the central square of San Bartolo de Berrios, Guanajuato, following a Catholic Church-organized festivity. Eyewitnesses reported that gunmen arrived in the early hours and fired approximately 100 rounds at the group before fleeing. Messages left at the scene suggest the attack was perpetrated by the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, which is engaged in a violent turf war with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel over control of territory and illicit activities in the region.

NORTH AMERICA

• LAUDERHILL, FLORIDA – On May 18, 2025, 41-year-old Erika Williams of Bradenton was fatally shot in the parking lot of a church on Northwest 38th Avenue while attending a family birthday party. Another woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries and has been released from the hospital. Witnesses reported hearing approximately 28 gunshots, with the assailant firing rapidly before fleeing the scene. As of now, no suspects have been identified, and the motive remains unclear.

• CABELL COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA – On May 16, 2025, 38-year-old Richard Lee Hill was arrested and charged with second-degree arson after admitting to setting multiple fires at Brighter Day Ministries Church in Lesage. The initial fire occurred in a shed attached to the church, followed by additional fires inside the church and an adjacent fellowship hall later that day.

• ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI – On May 16, 2025, a severe EF-3 tornado struck St. Louis, causing the collapse of Centennial Christian Church and resulting in the death of 70-year-old volunteer Patricia Penelton, who was sheltering inside. Two others were rescued from the debris. The storm damaged over 5,000 buildings, left tens of thousands without power, and caused at least five fatalities in the city.

EUROPE

• KOSTIANTYNIVKA, UKRAINE – On May 21, 2025, at approximately 4:20 a.m., Russian forces launched seven airstrikes using guided bombs on Kostiantynivka, resulting in injuries to one civilian and significant damage to a local church and a World War II mass grave.

• OVERSTRAND, UNITED KINGDOM – On May 19, 2025, Kleovrotos Thomadakis, 34, was sentenced to a hospital order after barricading himself inside a church in Overstrand in September 2024. During the incident, he threatened to set the church alight and seriously harm anyone who entered. When armed officers intervened, Thomadakis attacked them with a machete, injuring one officer.

• VLADIMIRESCU, ROMANIA – On May 18, 2025, approximately 1,000 people were safely evacuated from a neo-Protestant church in Vladimirescu, Arad County, after a man called 112 claiming a bomb had been planted inside. Authorities conducted a thorough search lasting over three hours and found no explosive device, confirming the threat was a false alarm.

• CAMPOBASSO, ITALY – On May 13, 2025, a 24-year-old Lebanese citizen was arrested in Campobasso by Digos (anti-terrorism police) on charges of possessing material intended for international terrorism and inciting violence against Christians and Jews. During an inspection, officers found numerous jihadist propaganda videos on his three smartphones, some self-produced, in which he openly incited armed jihad and urged other Muslims to follow his path of radicalization.

• LYON, FRANCE – On the evening of May 15, 2025, a 33-year-old man was apprehended inside Saint-Jacques Church in the États-Unis district of Lyon’s 8th arrondissement. Police were alerted to a break-in shortly before midnight and discovered the suspect near the altar, where the tabernacle showed signs of forced entry. The man, who did not resist arrest, was found with a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, and a shovel reportedly taken from an adjacent shed.

AUSTRALIA & OCEANIA

• MASTERTON, NEW ZEALAND – A 44-year-old man has been arrested and charged with seven counts of arson in connection with a series of fires that damaged six churches and a funeral home chapel in Masterton on February 22, 2025. The targeted churches include the Anglican Church of the Epiphany, St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Masterton Baptist Church, and Equippers Church Masterton.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please lift up the ROAM Intelligence Network in prayer. Ask that it would be shaped by God’s hand and guided by His Spirit to serve the Body of Christ faithfully. Pray that it would be a source of clarity in confusion, connection in isolation, and protection in danger. May every report shared, every alert sent, and every connection made be used to strengthen the Church and glorify God. Above all, may ROAM be a vessel for His will—used not for man’s ambition, but for the advancement of His Kingdom.

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