July 24, 2015 – Christian Post
Churchgoer Romain Oke poses for a picture inside an evangelical church that was destroyed in riots demonstrating against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, in Niamey, Niger, January 23, 2015.
At least five people were killed last Saturday in protests in Niger against Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, authorities said, bringing the death toll from two days of violence in the country to 10.
Christian churches in Niger are facing a lack of resources and difficult conditions in rebuilding six months after the wave of angry Islamist attacks destroyed at least 70 houses of worship in revenge for Charlie Hebdo’s drawings of the Muslim prophet Muhammad.
“Since these incidents, it is as if life had stopped,” said Rev. Jacques Kangindé, leader of the Baptist “Roundabout” church in Niamey. “The church has become a source of curiosity for passers-by and a hide-out for idlers. Unfortunately our current church finances don’t allow us to begin the reconstruction.”