I'm a Christian from Niger. Don’t ignore horrifying attacks on African Christians

When noted religious skeptic and TV host Bill Maher highlighted the plight of Christians in Nigeria in September during a conversation with South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, he raised a conversation that’s been an ongoing tension for many of us in the humanitarian space: the conflicts that cause the greatest suffering don’t always correlate to the greatest attention.

Reflecting on the atrocities taking place in Nigeria, Maher bemoaned on the show: "This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what’s going on in Gaza. They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country. Where are the kids protesting this?"

Here’s the thing: Gazans' suffering is legitimate. Just as Israel’s suffering on Oct. 7, 2023, and beyond was legitimate. And also, so is the suffering in Sudan and Yemen and Syria and Nigeria. What differs is the attention we bestow and our willingness to sit in the complexities and discomfort necessary to come to lasting solutions.

I grew up in Niger. I spent my childhood in the Sahel region in a time when a Christian in a Muslim-majority region could expect to live in relative peace and optimism. Growing up, I knew many mixed-faith Nigerian families that lived in harmony. As a nation and as a region, we had hope. The promises of the green revolution, trade and the West African economic community caused us to anticipate a trajectory of growth.