Pastor Jean-Paul Sankagui founded a church in a Muslim neighborhood outside Bangui, Central African Republic, in 1993, maintaining good relations with the community for years. However, the civil war involving Seleka rebels, government forces, and anti-balaka militias disrupted this harmony, leading to increased hostility toward Christians. Despite the danger and his wife’s pleas to leave, Pastor Jean-Paul stayed, believing it was his divine calling.
On February 7, 2017, Islamists killed him outside his church in Ramandji, subsequently looting and burning his house and church. Mary, his wife of 48 years, with whom he had 11 children and 17 grandchildren, said he was killed because Christians were no longer wanted in the area. Left with nothing, Mary was forced to leave. In the first five weeks of 2017, five other evangelical pastors in the region were also killed. Pastor Jean-Paul stayed, fully aware of the risks, to shepherd his congregation and serve as a witness for Christ.
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