Arise Africa briefing in Nairobi. Photo: Henry Naminde

The Arise Africa campaign is in the final stretch of its petition drive and intends to present its call to action to the African Union, the United Nations, other international bodies and national governments by the end of 2026, according to a briefing document released ahead of a Nairobi briefing.

The campaign, now in its fourth year, says its goal is to break the silence around violence that minorities, especially Christians, face daily in sub-Saharan Africa. "Headlines about the war in the Middle East and Ukraine dominate the news. But the much larger scale of violence in sub-Saharan Africa does not receive the same attention or urgency to act," the briefing document states.

At the centre of the push is a three-part ask directed at the global community:

Kenya sits inside the campaign's focus region, a "Prayer for Peace" recordings in Swahili. The Swahili track gives the campaign a direct line to Kenyan churches and listeners across the region.

Kenya's own history with militant violence is part of why the campaign resonates locally. The country has suffered attacks linked to al-Shabaab, including the 2015 attack on Garissa University College and the 2014 Mpeketoni attacks, and churches and Christian communities in the north and east have repeatedly been in the line of fire. The campaign's wider point is one of scale: it argues that the level of violence across sub-Saharan Africa is far larger than global news coverage suggests.

The line appears on the campaign's Arise Africa banner, alongside the warning that "Millions are being targeted for their faith. Murder, torture and kidnapping are an everyday threat." A video shown at the Nairobi briefing carried a similar message on screen: "Far too many people who follow Jesus Christ have been targeted for their faith."

Arise Africa describes itself as a global campaign for awareness, advocacy and prayer for Christians facing violent persecution in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also raising funds to increase the capacity of local church partners to support persecuted Christians. The campaign's shorthand is blunt: "Stop the violence. Start the healing."

The campaign is urging supporters to sign the petition in its final push, with the plan to hand the call to action to the African Union, the United Nations, other international bodies and national governments by the end of 2026. Further information is available at www.serve.africa.