ERITREA: 185 Christians Arrested at Prayer Gathering

 

Bulletin Date: 13 November 2013

Eritrea

Eritrean security forces recently raided a prayer meeting and arrested 185 Christians in Maitemenay, a northern suburb of Asmara. VOM sources say the believers had apparently gathered to pray about the worsening exodus of Eritreans from the country.

The gathering is said to have been organized by an underground fellowship known locally as "Hiyaw Amlak" (Living God). The fellowship is part of a network of underground fellowships that have been in operation throughout the country since 2002, when the Eritrean government closed all churches not belonging to officially sanctioned religious groups.

The believers are being held at a police station near an area known as Edaga Hamus in the adjoining district. Some of the women and children were released after signing an agreement that they would stop meeting with other believers. The arrests have alarmed underground church leaders, who fear that more raids may continue in the future.

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

• Praise God for the women and children who were released.

• Pray that God will grant the remaining believers favour with the authorities and that they will be released unharmed.

• Pray that they and their families will be filled with God's peace.

• Pray that believers in Eritrea will remain steadfast in their faith despite the opposition they face.

"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith." 2 Thess. 3:1-2

For more information about Eritrea visit VOM's Restricted Nations Map.

Release International Prayer Request: Eritrea

Eritrea: Church leaders arrested in capital
Monday, January 28, 2013

Release partners say that more than 20 Christians have been arrested in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, in the past ten days.

Release Eritrea says that officials have been targeting church leaders of various denominations, including the Full Gospel Church and the Mesret Kristos (Mennonite) Church.
All those detained were arrested at home – prompting suggestions that this had been a 'pre-planned' campaign.
These arrests come against a backdrop of mounting political uncertainty in the East African nation. Last week, a group of dissident soldiers reportedly tried to seize control of the Ministry of Information, apparently to demand political change. Three army officers are reported to have been arrested. Strained relations with Ethiopia have worsened since the death of Ethiopian premier Meles Zenawi last August.
Eritrea has been a one-party state since independence in 1993, under the repressive leadership of President Isaias Afewerki.

For more news and a country profile about Eritrea, click here
(Sources: AP, BBC, Christian Post, Release Eritrea)

• Pray God's peace and protection over His people in Eritrea, and in Asmara particularly. Pray that they will draw near to God for His wisdom and guidance.

• Pray for a breakthrough in the struggle for greater religious liberty in Eritrea, where non-conformist Christians are widely considered dissidents and a threat to national security.