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Published: 00:01 GMT Standard Time - Saturday 03 March 2012

Lent Prayer - Eritrea

Project(s): 12-996, 12-863, 12-954

Country/Region: Eritrea, Middle East and North Africa, Africa

Thousands of Christians are believed to be imprisoned without trial in Eritrea’s detention system, which is notorious for its cruelty. Prisoners may be shut up in underground pits or metal shipping containers, and many are subjected to hard labour, torture and beatings. In an attempt to pressure Christians into renouncing their faith, the authorities sometimes withhold medical treatment from them; at least three are reported to have died for this reason in the last two years.
eritrea-4x3.jpg
Many persecuted Eritrean Christians
try to flee across the Sinai desert
to find refuge in Israel
Source: Marc Ryckaert / Florian Prischl

The government of Eritrea regards Christians as a threat to national unity because they give their ultimate allegiance to God. Only four Christian groups are officially recognised, and members of non-registered groups are relentlessly harassed. All their churches have been closed; some of their leaders and members have been imprisoned for more than eight years; and they lose their jobs and are prevented from leaving the country. Even the recognised churches are subject to extensive control. The country is ranked among the few worst persecutors of Christians.

Every month hundreds of Eritrean Christians leave their homeland to escape this persecution and make the arduous journey across the Sinai desert to seek safety and freedom in Israel. Some die along the way; others are shot dead at the border; still others are taken hostage for ransom by nomads; and those who are caught may be sent back to Eritrea. Those who claim asylum in Egypt may be thrown into prison, while others end up in the hands of traffickers. They can suffer rape, harassment, torture, beatings or even slavery.

sat-action-point.pngContact your MP on behalf of persecuted Christians
It is important to draw the suffering of persecuted Christians to the attention of our political leaders, and one way of doing this is to write to your Member of Parliament or other elected representative. Your letter need not be very long: just ask your MP if s/he is aware of the persecution experienced by Christians in many parts of the world (perhaps you could include some of the examples in this booklet), and request him/her to approach the relevant government ministers on their behalf. Ask for a reply telling you what s/he has done.

UK readers can find out who their MP is by visiting http://findyourmp. parliament.uk/. They can write to him/her at House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.

Pray for Eritrean Christians as they follow Christ at risk of their liberty or even their lives. Pray especially for those imprisoned in appalling conditions in their own country, that He will sustain them in their ordeal and that they may soon be released; pray too for the families and churches of the believers who have recently died in custody. Remember also before God those who have fled into Egypt in the hope of reaching Israel, particularly those who are in jail or captivity, that they will know His presence with them. Pray that Eritrea’s rulers will relieve the pressure on the churches and give them freedom to worship and share the Gospel.

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This article is taken from

“Praying for the Persecuted Church in Lent 2012” -  Download .

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Lent Prayer - Eritrea

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christian, persecution, charity, church, persecuted, sookhdeo, Islam

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