Two Protestant cousins, Casto Hernández and Juan Placido Hernández, were imprisoned and then expelled from their community with their families after refusing to renounce their religious beliefs. Christian Solidarity Worldwide said they were imprisoned for 30 hours by village officials and the efforts to expel the men were led by local leaders. A campaign targeting the Protestant minority in this region of Mexico began in April 2014 when village authorities attempted to force Protestants to sign a document prohibiting them from belonging to any non-Roman Catholic religion. They refused, but village leaders signed the document and claimed it was binding on the community.  Religious freedom violations are common in Hidalgo state where local leaders often try to force conformity to the majority religion. State officials tasked with upholding the law, including human rights protections enshrined in the Mexican constitution, rarely intervene to protect religious freedom.

Eleven medical students and doctors of Sudanese origin went to Syria to provide medical assistance to IS. Members of the group sent text messages saying they were treating hospital patients. An estimated 20,000 foreign fighters and supporters have flocked to Syria and Iraq to prop up IS. The Washington Post reported special treatment and better pay for the foreign recruits have made local fighters resentful. Foreign fighters live in cities where there’s less chance of airstrikes while Syrian fighters serve in more vulnerable rural outposts. IS is paying foreign fighters $800 a month, but Syrians half that amount causing mounting unrest in IS. Meanwhile nine members of IS were killed during infighting after they tried to flee over the Turkish border. It is not the first time that IS has killed its own members. They killed 120+ of their own fighters in two months, mostly foreigners trying to return home.

Syrians feel ‘increasingly abandoned by the world’ as global attention focuses on IS militants while violence and government bureaucracy hinder delivery of aid and medical supplies to 12 million people. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said a lack of accountability during the four-year civil war has also led to a rise in allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights abuses. While aid is reaching several million people, the situation for 4.8 million people in hard-to-reach areas (especially 212,000 people in besieged areas) was of ‘grave concern. Hospitals and schools are being attacked and international aid funding has failed to keep pace with needs. The UN is seeking $8.4 billion to meet humanitarian needs in 2015, after only securing half the funding it asked for in 2014. Mr Ban ki-moon said at a pledging conference in Kuwait on 31 March is crucial.

Muhammad Buhari wants to replace the current Christian President of Nigeria. Buhari has said in the past, ‘Sharia should be introduced across Nigeria. I will continue to show openly and inside me total commitment to the Sharia movement. God willing, we will not stop agitating for total implementation of the Sharia in Nigeria. God has given us a legal responsibility to continue to uphold the practice of Sharia wholeheartedly and educate non-Muslims that they have nothing to fear. What remains for Muslims in Nigeria is for them to redouble their efforts, educate Muslims on the need to promote the full implementation of Sharia law.’ Buhari’s comments were interpreted as a call for the imposition of Sharia even in the mainly Christian south. Also in the run-up to federal elections Nigerian journalists have been attacked and beaten at political rallies, and fear attack from militants. See: