At least 150 Christians have been arrested since the end of June in Eritrea, including pregnant women and children. The majority may still be imprisoned for their faith. Please pray. 

The condition of over a hundred Christians arrested in recent months is still unknown, as Eritrean officials continue to crack down on “illegal” Christianity.

Eritrea, a small country in northeastern Africa, only recognizes Sunni Muslims and members of the Roman Catholic, Eritrean Orthodox and Lutheran Church as “legal,” identifying all Protestant believers as illegal enemies.

Since June, at least 150 Protestant believers (mostly women—some pregnant) with small children at their side have been rounded up and jailed in Eritrea’s harsh prison system. Some men and elderly believers have also been imprisoned.

We continue to pray for these believers and, with the help of caring friends like you, we can network with our Christ-centered partners on the ground in the area to provide humanitarian assistance.

Last month, a pastor who had survived more than 3 years in Eritrea’s prisons described to Barnabus Fund some of what he endured. For his safety, he is identified simply as “Gabriel.”

Gabriel reported that prisoners receive only small amounts of food about every 18 hours, though they are forced to do back-breaking labor. Guards harshly discriminate against Christians and refuse them medical treatment.

Once, Gabriel spent three weeks locked in solitary confinement—in a metal shipping container like the ones pictured above. The heat was unbearable by day, followed by freezing temperatures at night.

On another occasion, Gabriel was tied up and beaten over the head for an hour in order to intimidate other inmates. When a nurse was finally allowed to attend to his wounds, she encouraged him to just renounce his faith for a while and pick it up again after his release.

But Gabriel refused, declaring, “I cannot deny the Lord who laid down His life for me.”

He told of two inmates who came to Christ while in prison. They were beaten and tortured for three days but would not recant their faith. The guards finally gave up, saying, “We cannot stop this Christian thing.”

It MATTERS whenever you and I pray for believers suffering such harsh persecution.

Don’t forget what we are told in the book of Acts, chapter 12, verse 5, “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the Church.” An angel was sent to Peter’s aid and he walked out a free man!

The Apostle Paul reminds us to “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also” (Heb. 13-3). Please continue to pray for these imprisoned believers to be strengthened—body, soul, and spirit—and to be released.

Just last week, Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of neighboring Ethiopia, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, namely for his work to restart peace talks with Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki. Eritrea is known as the “North Korea of Africa” because of the authoritarian and brutal dictatorship of Afwerki, who has built his regime on egregious human rights violations.

We pray that this development will lead to peace throughout Eritrea!

As you pray, please consider sharing your blessings to provide for the needs of persecuted brothers and sisters.

Your tax-deductible gift of 50, 100, 500 dollars or more will enable us to send urgently needed aid to our partners in the field who are working with men, women and children who are at constant risk of violence, torture, false imprisonment, kidnapping, rape or even death.

We are told that some believers have been imprisoned for over 10 years, and when they are finally released, they are in desperate need of trauma counseling, housing, job training and other practical, humanitarian needs. Pastor Gabriel had to flee the country when rumors of his pending re-arrest—because of his faith—began to circulate after his release.

Please let me hear from you today. Our prayers and our practical help are a lifeline for our persecuted family in countries like Eritrea—especially when they feel isolated and forgotten.

Thank you in advance for standing with LRI to pray for and care for our hurting family all over the world.

God bless you,

Mathew D. Staver
Founder and Chairman

PS: You can help LRI minister to the urgent needs of persecuted Christians and others in unbelievably desperate situations with your generous gift today.

*Representative photos/names for security reasons.