Mission Network News - Eritrea

<p>Eritrea (MNN) — In March, Eritrean security forces <a href="https://www.vomcanada.com/er-2022-03-31.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>raided a Christian prayer meeting</strong></a> and arrested 29 believers. They took 17 women and 12 men to a prison camp near the capital city, Asmara.</p> <p>Worship in Eritrea is illegal outside of government-recognized churches. Eritrean Christians have often been held for years without charges.</p> <p>Dr. Berhane Esmelash recently spoke with <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-canada/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Voice of the Martyrs Canada</strong></a>. He says the arrest is part of a trend. “We have experienced several new arrests for the past six months. Some senior pastors were arrested a few months ago, and they are in their 70s. At the same time, other members of the leadership were also arrested.&#8221;</p> <blockquote> <h3 style="text-align: center;">&#8220;About six months ago, 15 Christians were arrested. Now, these 15 were previously imprisoned for many years.”</h3> </blockquote> <p>Eritrean Christians hoped these believers would be free for the rest of their lives, but now they have been put right back in prison. Eritrean police often use illegal gatherings as an excuse to arrest people. But sometimes they simply take people from work.</p> <h2>Eritrean Christians</h2> <p>Dr. Esmelash also spent a year in prison in Eritrea. He currently operates a ministry to Eritrean Christians out of London.</p> <p>He says the authoritarian government has been trying to clear Evangelical Christians from Eritrea for 20 years. “When Christians say, &#8216;Jesus is Lord,&#8217; for them, it is like an insult. Because they want to be Lord over the land. That is the typical character of the Eritrean president. He wants to be worshipped, not just obeyed. It’s the same thing that is happening in North Korea.”</p> <p>Eritrean Christians are not alone. The Holy Spirit is with them and unites them with believers all around the globe.  Ask God to strengthen them.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>The header photo shows Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. (Photo courtesy of Charles Fred from Amsterdam, CC BY-SA 3.0 &lt;http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons)</em></p>

<p>Eritrea (MNN) &#8212; More Christians have been released in Eritrea, but the fight isn’t over yet.  Of the <a href="https://releaseinternational.org/religious-freedom-hopes-dashed-in-eritrea-as-35-more-christians-arrested/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>35 believers arrested at prayer meetings</strong></span></a> a few weeks ago, 22 were set free <a href="https://barnabasfund.org/news/eritrean-authorities-release-all-but-one-of-23-christians-arrested-at-pr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>on Sunday</strong></span></a>.</p> <p>Persecution watchdogs are trying to get details on the 13 Christians who remain behind bars, Greg Musselman with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-canada/">Voice of the Martyrs Canada</a></strong></span> says.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>“Over the years, we’ve heard of thousands of evangelicals being put in military prisons, shipping containers; just horrible situations.”</strong></p> </blockquote> <div id="attachment_185910" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/victoria-kubiaki-q3O_tM8Cn_I-unsplash-1-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-185910" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/victoria-kubiaki-q3O_tM8Cn_I-unsplash-1-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/victoria-kubiaki-q3O_tM8Cn_I-unsplash-1-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/victoria-kubiaki-q3O_tM8Cn_I-unsplash-1-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/victoria-kubiaki-q3O_tM8Cn_I-unsplash-1-1-1024x684.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Eritrean prisoners are sometimes held in shipping containers such as this one. (Photo by Victória Kubiaki on Unsplash)</p></div> <p>Believers can languish in captivity for years. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.vomcanada.com/eritrea.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more here</a>.</strong></span> “They often aren’t even charged with anything and they don’t go to court,” Musselman continues. In an unexpected move, Eritrea’s government released dozens of prisoners in <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/70-eritrean-christians-released-from-prison/">late February</a></strong></span>. Many believers thought, “‘Hey, things are changing!’” Musselman says.</p> <p>“The Eritrean government may be trying to curry favor with Ethiopia, their neighbor country, because the Prime Minister there is a Christian.”</p> <p>As the March arrests show, these changes were too good to be true. “[Our] hopes that the Eritrean government was loosening its grip on evangelicals now seem to be going in the opposite direction,” Musselman admits.</p> <p>Ask the Lord to strengthen believers in prison, and pray they’ll know they are not forgotten. Advocate on behalf of Eritrean Christians through VOM Canada. <a href="https://www.vomcanada.com/advocacy-links.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Learn more here.</strong></span></a></p> <p>“We need to have our governments put pressure on the Eritrean government and say, ‘Look, if you want to have relationships with our countries, you need to ease up on these Christians’,” Musselman says.</p> <p>“This country is claiming religious freedom but that’s not happening at all.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Grant Durr/<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/-KYWCVs3tHA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unsplash</a>.<br /> </em></p>

<p>Eritrea (MNN) &#8212; About 70 total Christians have been <a href="https://www.persecution.org/2021/02/08/70-christians-released-prison-eritrea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>released</strong></a> from three different prisons in Eritrea. However, many more remain behind bars. The East African country takes a strict stance on religion, allowing only three Christian denominations to operate alongside Islam. Read more <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/human-religious-rights-scrutiny-continues-eritrea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>here</strong></a>.</p> <p>Greg Musselman of <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-canada/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Voice of the Martyrs Canada</strong></a> says, “I think Eritrea is trying to present itself as being more open. And I think there&#8217;s a number of other reasons why they have been released, [such as] the coronavirus and overcrowding in the prisons. But the senior Christian leadership, people that we actually met when we were down there, have been in prison since 2004.”</p> <h2>The beginnings of persecution</h2> <p>Musselman says the harsh treatment of certain Christian groups began in the early 2000s. At that time, many Eritreans were leaving the Orthodox Church to join new evangelical churches. “The Orthodox leaders then put pressure on the Eritrean government to stop this.&#8221;</p> <p>However, some Orthodox leaders had a change of heart. Musselman says, &#8220;Back in May 2002, the government made it illegal to operate [a church] without registration. The Orthodox Church and many of the leaders saw how brutal the government was on these Christians, these evangelicals. [They were] putting them in prison and torturing them. [The Orthodox leaders] started to say, &#8216;No, this is too much.&#8217; Some were even removed from leadership within the Orthodox Church and imprisoned themselves.”</p> <p>Remember these Eritrean Christians still in prison. Ask God to comfort them in their suffering. And pray their love for one another would bear witness to the love of Jesus.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>The header image shows an Orthodox church in Eritrea. (Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/12019-12019/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=84255">David Mark</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=84255">Pixabay)</a></em></p>

<p>Eritrea (MNN) — At least 31 Christians have been <a href="https://www.vomcanada.com/er-2020-09-17.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>released</strong></a> from prison in Eritrea, many after being held for more than 10 years. The government may be releasing prisoners to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.</p> <p>In 2002, Eritrea outlawed all religions aside from Sunni Islam, The Eritrean Orthodox Church, Roman Catholicism, and the Lutheran Church. However, the government keeps a <a href="https://releaseinternational.org/breaking-news-christian-prisoners-released-in-eritrea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>tight leash</strong></a> on these churches as well. People who worship in unregistered churches are considered enemies of the state.</p> <p>Greg Musselman of <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-canada/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Voice of the Martyrs Canada</strong></a> says Eritrea used to be a part of Ethiopia, and the Gospel grew quickly after the country gained its independence. “Evangelical churches especially were growing. Many people were leaving the state church and becoming evangelicals. And that caused some difficulty for the state church. The government began to basically shut down evangelical churches. Once the churches were closed down, believers continued to meet, and then they were arrested.”</p> <div id="attachment_185700" style="width: 443px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img class=" wp-image-185700" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/victoria-kubiaki-q3O_tM8Cn_I-unsplash-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="433" height="288" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/victoria-kubiaki-q3O_tM8Cn_I-unsplash-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/victoria-kubiaki-q3O_tM8Cn_I-unsplash-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/victoria-kubiaki-q3O_tM8Cn_I-unsplash-1-1024x684.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Prisoners in Eritrea are often held in shipping containers like these. (Photo by Victória Kubiaki on Unsplash)</p></div> <h2>Held in shipping containers</h2> <p>Many prisoners in Eritrea live in severely overcrowded prisons, in danger of beatings and abuse. Their shelter? Metal shipping containers that expose them to the heat in the day and cold at night. Many Christians have died under such harsh conditions, and others have fled the country to avoid them.</p> <p>Musselman says only a tiny fraction of Christians have been released so far, but he is hopeful that more will be released in the coming days. Back in July, Eritrea released 22 Methodists prisoners as well.</p> <h2>How to pray</h2> <p>For those who have released from prison, Musselman says we need to pray they can reintegrate into society and find healing. Some of them have been in prison so long that Eritrea is a different place than they remember.</p> <p>For those still in prison, pray they would be strengthened by Christ, and would soon be released. Musselman says, “We&#8217;ve even gotten letters that have come to us, from people that we had met, and they&#8217;ve been in prison for many years. But they remain committed to sharing the message of God&#8217;s love in these prison cells.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>The header image shows students in Eritrea, who are forced to undergo military training as high school seniors. (Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs on Facebook)</em></p>

<p>Eritrea (MNN) – Thousands of Somalia refugees are on the move after the government in Eritrea decided to close down its only refugee camp.</p> <p>Appealing to the government, the United Nations Refugee Agency, <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2019/7/5d1c77374/unhcr-appeals-eritrea-refugee-camp-closure.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UNHCR, asked authorities to continue to work</strong> </a>with them in providing protection and solutions for those seeking help in Eritrea.  Concerns arose over not offering solutions for residents, some of whom have been in the camps for almost 20 years. Many of those who abandoned the camps are <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/ethiopia-and-eritrea-celebrate-new-peace-what-will-it-mean-for-the-gospel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>now in Ethiopia.</strong></a></p> <p>The move brought additional scrutiny on the northeastern African nation, already under fire for its ongoing human rights crisis.  Religious rights watchdogs have long been making noise about the country&#8217;s treatment of its Evangelical Protestant population.   <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-canada/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Voice of the Martyrs Canada</strong> </a>spokesman Greg Musselman says the history brings this latest move into context.</p> <h2>From pressure to persecution</h2> <p>The Church has been operating in the country since the early 1950s and seeking registration since 2002.  Musselman says, &#8220;There is this fear that evangelical Christians there they retreated are now siding with the West and the CIA. They&#8217;re &#8216;trying to bring down the government,&#8217; which is very oppressive, led by President Isaias Afwerki.&#8221;</p> <div id="attachment_112001" style="width: 175px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img class="size-full wp-image-112001" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/eritrea_containers3.jpg" alt="" width="165" height="180" /><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy Voice of the Martyrs Canada)</p></div> <p>Continuing in that school of thought, the <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/crackdown-against-christians-in-eritrea-continues/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>government essentially outlawed</strong> </a>any religious practice not associated with the Roman Catholic, Eritrean Orthodox or Evangelical Lutheran denominations, or Sunni Islam. &#8220;Then what happened as a result of the churches, the evangelical (Protestant) churches being closed down, believers then started to meet in their homes,” he explains. “The government got wise to that, and then went around arresting these Eritrean believers and putting them in prison, shipping containers. Thousands were imprisoned; many tried to escape; some died trying to escape.&#8221;</p> <h2>From mindset to movement</h2> <p>While saying that Christianity has freedom in Eritrea, at the same time, the government seems to view Evangelical Protestants with suspicion.  Is that same suspicion cast over Somalis?  Musselman offers this thought: &#8220;Most people from Somalia are Muslim. And then you&#8217;ve got groups, you know, that are very Islamic in terms of how they operate. And so there&#8217;s that tension there. So you know, closing down the refugee camps is sad. But on the other hand, it doesn&#8217;t surprise me because of the kind of government that they have there, again, as I say, very oppressive.&#8221;</p> <div id="attachment_175780" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img class="size-medium wp-image-175780" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/er-family-praying-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/er-family-praying-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/er-family-praying.jpg 301w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy VOM-Canada/Release International)</p></div> <p>Asmara has yet to respond to the UNCHR&#8217;s appeal on behalf of the refugees.  However, all too familiar to the Christians driven underground, the government&#8217;s approach.  &#8220;This is really nothing new in terms of going around and confiscating property,&#8221; explains Musselman. &#8220;(In) the second largest city in Eritrea, they were going around and taking possessions from these evangelicals.  Even pregnant women and children were arrested.&#8221;</p> <h2>From despair to prayer</h2> <p>VOM-Canada comes alongside the Persecuted Church, but in cases like Eritrea, talking about what they do in the country can cause more harm than good. &#8220;If we draw too much attention to some of the work we&#8217;re doing, it could put others in danger, which has led to arrest for believers or people that trying to bring those funds (which) have been confiscated. Those that are Americans, Canadians, or others, going into these countries can be arrested, and usually, kicked out of the country.&#8221;</p> <p>To that end, Musselman encourages believers to pray for Eritrea&#8217;s Christians. Many face similar challenges to the Somali refugees.  Do they try to stay in Eritrea, or is it simply better to leave?  He concludes with this thought. Hebrews 13:3 says in part, &#8216;<a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/why-eritrea-cant-be-forgotten/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Remember those in prison</strong></a>.&#8217; It&#8217;s not a suggestion, and it&#8217;s not a passive sentence, he explains. &#8220;Remember them in a way that they would be strong, they would continue not to back away in sharing the Gospel, but they&#8217;d have wisdom on how to do that. And you (pray) that the Lord would protect them and their families.&#8221;</p> <p><em><strong>(Headline photo courtesy <a href="https://media.unhcr.org/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&amp;VF=Home">UNHCR.org)</a></strong></em></p>

<p>Eritrea (MNN) &#8212; Word of an ongoing crackdown on Christians comes out of Eritrea today. Todd Nettleton, spokesman for the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-usa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voice of the Martyrs USA</a></strong></span> tells us, “Just last week, June 3rd, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/over-30-pentecostal-christians-arrested-in-eritrea-as-crackdown-continues-report.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30 more Christians</a></strong></span> were arrested. This comes after a couple weeks before [when] <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.persecution.org/2019/05/24/eritrea-arrested-141-christians-gathering/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">141 Christians</a></strong></span> in the capital city of Asmara were arrested.”</p> <h2>Trouble in Eritrea</h2> <p>Hundreds of Christians have been arrested and are in prison with no way out. Nettleton says some Christians have been imprisoned for 15 years. In 2002, the current president declared that all independent Protestant Churches as official “enemies of the state.”</p> <p>This latest purge shows the crackdown on Christians continues.<a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/not-all-of-eritrea-marks-an-anniversary-of-freedom/eritrea-political-map/" rel="attachment wp-att-131806"><img class="wp-image-131806 alignright" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/eritrea-political-map-1024x722.jpg" alt="" width="401" height="283" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/eritrea-political-map-1024x722.jpg 1024w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/eritrea-political-map-300x212.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/eritrea-political-map-480x338.jpg 480w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/eritrea-political-map.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px" /></a></p> <p>“The government sees Christianity as a way that foreign influence comes into the country. They see it as a threat to the government, to their authority. But it&#8217;s hard to understand why, over those years, literally thousands of Christians have been arrested. Not a single Christian has been formally charged with a crime. Not a single Christian has had an actual trial,&#8221; Nettleton explains.</p> <p>Once arrested, some Eritrean Christians wind up in shipping containers where they languish for years. Others simply disappear.</p> <p>Of the shipping containers, Nettleton says, &#8220;It’s not a jail. It&#8217;s not a place that was built to house people or house prisoners. It&#8217;s simply a shipping container that can be locked in and there&#8217;s not a bathroom inside of it. There&#8217;s very little airflow.&#8221;</p> <h2>Remember Those Persecuted</h2> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+13%3A3&amp;version=NIV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hebrews 13:3</a></strong></span> says, “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (NIV)</p> <p>In remembering our persecuted family in Eritrea, Nettleton says there are things we can do to help. First, we can pray.</p> <blockquote><p>“Pray for these Christians who have just been arrested. Pray for those who have been in prison for years. And pray for their families as they are separated from them.&#8221;</p></blockquote> <p>Also pray for the encouragement of these Christians, for their sustenance, and their health. Finally, when at a loss for other ways to pray, Nettleton encourages Christians to pray for their persecuted brothers and sisters the way they would want to be prayed for if the roles were reversed.</p> <h2>Get Involved</h2> <p>Another way to get involved is to come alongside ministries who are directly helping.</p> <p>“Thankfully, Voice of the Martyrs is able to help some of those families of Christians who are in prison in Eritrea and just help encourage them, but also help to meet their very practical day-to-day needs,&#8221; Nettleton says.</p> <p>Find ways to partner with Voice of the Martyrs USA <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.persecution.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></strong></span>.</p> <div id="attachment_150522" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/news/somalia-enters-freefall-following-isis-al-shabaab-flurry/vomc_pray/" rel="attachment wp-att-150522"><img class=" wp-image-150522" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vomc_pray.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="400" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vomc_pray.jpg 960w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vomc_pray-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vomc_pray-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vomc_pray-768x768.jpg 768w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vomc_pray-480x480.jpg 480w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vomc_pray-166x166.jpg 166w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vomc_pray-180x180.jpg 180w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/vomc_pray-200x200.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of VOM Canada)</p></div> <p>Nettleton also urges believers to let their government officials know they are concerned about the happenings in Eritrea. In doing so, pray for God to guide these leaders.</p> <p>“There are ways that the American government can bring some pressure to bear, and we need to make sure our elected officials know that we want them to do that. We want them to care about these Christians who have been arrested and imprisoned in Eritrea,” Nettleton explains.</p> <p>To find how to contact your government officials, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a></strong></span>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Header photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs USA.</em></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eritrea (MNN) &#8212; Pastor Oqbamichel Haiminot was wrongfully imprisoned in Eritrea for over a decade. Christians around the world prayed fervently for Pastor Oqbamichel&#8217;s release, but it seemed the Eritrean government would not budge.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today, however, we rejoice to hear that Pastor Oqbamichel has been finally freed from prison, <a href="https://goo.gl/T4hS3P" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">according to The Voice of the Martyrs Australia</span></a>. He is currently in need of medical care.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Todd Nettleton with <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-usa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Voice of the Martyrs USA</span></a> says, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Many pastors [in Eritrea] have been arrested. Many Christians have been arrested. Typically, however, they’re not held as long as Pastor Oqbamichel was&#8230; </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">We don’t know exactly why he was released at this time. Why not a year ago? Why not a year from now? We don’t know what the logic behind that is &#8212; or if there is any logic behind it.”</span></p> <div id="attachment_165618" style="width: 280px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img class="size-full wp-image-165618" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/vom-eritrea.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="223" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Pastor Oqbamichel Haiminot (Photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs Australia)</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pastor Oqbamichel was the senior pastor of the Kale Hiwot (Word of Life) Church. His case garnered international attention in 2003 when he became the first senior church leader to be arrested in Eritrea for religious activities. Since then, Pastor Oqbamichel has been in and out of prison until he was jailed long-term in 2007.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Eritrea is a country that has gone through a real crackdown against the Church since 2002. The government actually closed all of the Evangelical churches in Eritrea. [They] basically called in the church leaders and said, ‘Your churches can’t meet anymore.&#8217; Every Christian activity after that became illegal.&#8221;</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Open Doors ranks Eritrea on their <a href="https://goo.gl/HFcaiG" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">World Watch List</span></a> as the sixth worst country for Christian persecution.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the past several years, thousands of other Christians like Pastor Oqbamichel have been jailed in Eritrea for their faith. While we praise God for Pastor Oqbamichel&#8217;s release, your prayers are still needed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“One of the things that&#8217;s amazing is the courage that it takes to continue to serve Christ when you know you could go to prison…. None of these Christians has ever actually even been charged with a crime. None of them has had a trial. None of them has gotten a lawyer or been allowed to present their case. They just get arrested and they kind of disappear.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nettleton offers this prayer: “Lord, give the Christians in Eritrea that kind of courage. Help them to be bold in spite of the risk, in spite of what they know could happen.”</span></p> <div id="attachment_150632" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img class="size-medium wp-image-150632" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/eritreaprayercastwoman-300x168.png" alt="" width="300" height="168" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/eritreaprayercastwoman-300x168.png 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/eritreaprayercastwoman-480x269.png 480w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/eritreaprayercastwoman.png 636w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">(Screen capture courtesy of Prayercast)</p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Please pray also for the families of those who have been arrested for their faith. Ask God to draw near to the families missing their loved ones in prison. And pray for others in Eritrea who are not Christians to come to know Jesus as their Savior.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I just hope that people will pray for the country of Eritrea. This is a country that a lot of Americans couldn’t find on a map…. So it’s a country we don’t think about a lot. It’s a country we don’t hear about a lot. But it is a country where it is very, very hard to be a Christian.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Voice of the Martyrs exists to encourage and equip the persecuted Church around the world. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://goo.gl/VY5qKg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here</a></strong></span> to learn more about VOM’s ministry and how you can support them!</span></p>

<p>Eritrea (MNN) – Roughly half of the population of Eritrea is considered to be of the Christian faith. A very small percentage of that group would be considered evangelical. And it’s these Eritreans who are under the heavy hand of persecution.</p> <p>Todd Nettleton of the <a href="https://goo.gl/y6PSs6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voice of the Martyrs USA</a> says, “The Evangelical Church has been outlawed in Eritrea by the government. Any kind of public church meetings are illegal, other than those in the approved denominations by the government.</p> <p>“So anytime Christians gather together, they face arrest, they face persecution and imprisonment. Many times those imprisonments are in horrible conditions, even being held in shipping containers which have no plumbing. They have very limited air supply, they’re closed off, they’re [hot] in the summer, they’re very cold in the winter.”</p> <h4>New persecution strategy</h4> <p>But there’s been a disturbing development. Nettleton says who is arrested and how they are arrested is changing:</p> <p><strong>“Since May of this year, nearly 200 Christians have been arrested. The interesting thing about this—they have shifted tactics&#8230; Instead of just raiding church services or Bible studies, now the government is going to the homes of Christians, and they’re arresting the whole family. Even children have been put under arrest if they’re part of a Christian family.”</strong></p> <p>When the parents are arrested, the children get taken into custody. The authorities make sure they receive no support from the Christian community.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.icommittopray.com/request/1638/arrested-christian-students/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> The latest arrests included 16 students just last month.  They were arrested simply for praying together.</a></span></p> <p>What this means is that the government is watching Christians meetings closely and strategically planning ways they can thwart evangelical Christian activity. They’re trying to hammer down on this community even harder than before, attacking one of the key practices of their faith: fellowship.</p> <p>“Even as bad as it was, this seems like even a step further in the persecution of Christians—to arrest even children who are involved in Christian activities.”</p> <div id="attachment_160626" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img class="wp-image-160626" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/animal-market-688972_640-300x199.jpg" alt="Eritrea -- Pixabay" width="400" height="266" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/animal-market-688972_640-300x199.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/animal-market-688972_640.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Animal market in Eritrea (Photo via Pixabay)</p></div> <p>As is often the case, where one human right is denied, other human rights are also at risk. According to International Christian Concern, <a href="http://www.persecution.org/2017/11/13/eritrea-second-worst-country-with-freedom-of-press/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eritrea is the second worst country</a> when it comes to freedom of the press. The nation that is even worse than them? That’s not a surprise—North Korea.</p> <p>The UN has officially accused the nation of <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/eritrea/un-inquiry-finds-crimes-against-humanity-eritrea-enarti" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crimes against humanity,</a> saying that the nation is systematic in its atrocities against mankind. Along with persecution, the UN lists enslavement, rape, torture, murder, and more.</p> <p>Open Doors USA lists Eritrea as the<a href="https://www.opendoors.org.za/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/eritrea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 10^th worst country</a> to live as a Christian. They cite Dictatorial Paranoia, Islamic Oppression, and Denominational Protectionism as the three main sources of Christian persecution.</p> <p><strong>How does the Church hold up under oppression?</strong></p> <p>Nettleton says, considering the horrors believers face, the Church has been a shining example of resilience.</p> <p>“The Church continues to meet. And one of the amazing things about the Eritrean Church is that they continue to serve the Lord, they continue to meet together for worship. The churches that were closed moved almost immediately into a house church, underground church type of activity.”</p> <p>And, what’s more, they aren’t just living a hidden faith. They’re sharing it with others. Even with their lives at risk. Even in prison.</p> <p><strong>“They are sharing the Gospel. They are seeing other people won to Christ. And that’s really an amazing example of faithfulness to the call of Christ, even in really horrific circumstances.”</strong></p> <p><img class="alignleft wp-image-153283 size-medium" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/hands-folded-bible-glasses-prayer-cross-window-pixabay-300x250.jpg" alt="Pixabay" width="300" height="250" srcset="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/hands-folded-bible-glasses-prayer-cross-window-pixabay-300x250.jpg 300w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/hands-folded-bible-glasses-prayer-cross-window-pixabay-480x401.jpg 480w, https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/hands-folded-bible-glasses-prayer-cross-window-pixabay.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Voice of the Martyrs is actively supporting the Church there. For security reasons, they can only say they are helping Christians undergoing persecution—they are providing persecution response tools, Bibles, and support to frontline Gospel workers.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://goo.gl/y6PSs6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You can join in this work with the Voice of the Marytrs, here</a>.</strong> </span>And, you can pray.</p> <p>“We want to pray for God’s protection, and we want to pray for them to be faithful. It’s a hard place to serve the Lord. The persecution there is intense. But we can pray that they will continue to experience the joy of the Lord and to continue to faithfully serve him, even in that very, very difficult circumstance.”</p>

<p>Eritrea (MNN) &#8212; Homes. Graveyards. Shipping Containers.</p> <p>These are the meeting places of the Eritrean Church. Almost <a href="https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2017/05/100-christians-detained-10-years-after-eritrea-put-patriarch-under-house-arrest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">100 believers have been arrested in Eritrea during the last month</a>, but Greg Musselman of <a href="https://www.mnnonline.org/mission_groups/voice-of-the-martyrs-canada/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Voice of the Martyrs Canada</a> says the recent crackdown is nothing new for the nation.</p> <p>Fifteen years ago the Evangelical Church in Eritrea was growing. “The government was very paranoid and they saw Evangelical Christianity as destabilizing the country,” said Musselman. “They thought the Church would bring an American agenda to Eritrea and cause all sorts of problems.”</p> <div id="attachment_156808" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img class="size-medium wp-image-156808" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/er-woman-child-flickr-300x201.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="201" /><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada)</p></div> <p>The Eritrean government had a close relationship with the Orthodox Church, and the number of Christians leaving the Orthodox Church to join evangelicals was starting to grow too quickly. New laws were passed. Lutheran, Catholic, and Orthodox churches were allowed to remain, and Islam remained virtually untouched, but Evangelical churches were shut down and forced to register.</p> <p>But that’s easier said than done since much of the persecution against evangelicals hasn’t been officially viewed as cracking down on the Church. “They’d say, ‘It’s more for political reasons, it’s not for religion.’”</p> <p>“Christians started to meet in homes, but the government got wise to that and began arresting the evangelicals in church homes,” Musselman said. “They’d go to an evangelical wedding and arrest the bride and groom, and at one point there were thousands of Christians in shipping containers and military prisons all over the country.”</p> <p>When even the leader of the Orthodox Church spoke out against the new, harsher persecution, he was removed from his position. Musselman said Christians and even non-believers began to leave the country “due to the oppressive nature of the government.”</p> <div id="attachment_156809" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img class="size-medium wp-image-156809" src="https://www.mnnonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/er-animal-market-688972-pixabay-300x205.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="205" /><p class="wp-caption-text">(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada)</p></div> <p>Now, the intensity of persecution is picking up again. Christians are forced meet in pairs or small groups in homes, cemeteries, and other locations hidden from the government’s eye. If they’re caught, they’ll be crammed into makeshift prisons built from shipping containers that are blazing hot during the day and frigid during the night. Many believers are forced into physical labor until they renounce their faith, and some prisoners who have refused to give up on God have been imprisoned since the crackdown began 15 years ago.</p> <p>But that doesn’t mean they’re giving up. “Even in the midst of the persecution, the shutting down of the visible Evangelical Church, the Church is still growing and people are still coming to know the Lord.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.vomcanada.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Want to help?</a> Remember Eritrea in your prayers as believers face the ultimate price for their persistent faith in the Gospel’s truth.</p>