The absence of a single central government to impose law and order has made the situation for Christians precarious. The level of violence against Christians in Libya is categorised as ‘very high’. Since the arrest of several Libyan Christians in March 2023, different authorities have stepped up their monitoring of Christian activities on the internet. Libyan Christians who are from a Muslim background face intense pressure from their families and community to renounce their faith. All practise their faith in secret.

Foreign Christians, mostly from other parts of Africa, are targeted by various Islamic extremist groups and organised criminal gangs. These groups traffic and kidnap foreign Christians and demand ransoms, or force believers into hard labour. Their Christian faith makes believers more vulnerable to such abuse. Each year, many migrant Christians are believed to die at sea while trying to reach Europe, or die from abuse in detention camps.