SW News: During a gathering that coincided with the US State Department's US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC, several human rights groups emphasized issues with women's rights and religious freedom in Africa that they claim are neglected by the American government.

African leaders gathered for a three-day conference as part of the United States' enduring commitment to Africa. The Institute on Religion & Democracy organized a panel discussion titled "Women and IRF: Why their Concerns are Overlooked in Africa."

Religious and human rights organizations, including Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, claim that the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, including minority sects within Islam, is increasing in Nigeria. However, for the second year running, Nigeria has been left off of the list of "countries of particular concern" for violating religious freedom (CPC).

While jihadist organizations like the Islamic State West Africa Province, and Boko Haram terrorize the Nigerian populace, the Nigerian government mostly does nothing to stop gang violence and acts of hatred towards Christians, they said.

Priorities listed by the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit include increasing economic opportunity, advancing safety, democracy, and education, as well as addressing the climate issue.

Due to intersecting hostilities, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to the fourth-largest Internally Displaced People problem in the world and the humanitarian disaster that has lasted the longest in Africa.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is rich in abundant resources such as diamonds and cobalt, which are used to power iPhones. As a result, the indigenous people who reside in the forests where these minerals are extracted are driven off their land. To make their family leave their land, women and young girls are frequently raped or subjected to other forms of torture.

From Nigeria, there was a shocking Reuters report on December 7 that said the country's military is performing secret abortions amid its ongoing fight with Boko Haram and radical terrorist groups. Nigerian military carried out at least 10,000 abortions in the country's northeast as part of a secret campaign since 2013. According to witnesses, many women have been beaten, drugged, or held at gunpoint before being made to undergo abortion.