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Eritrea
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Many Christians are unrecognized by the state and endure raids, imprisonment and marginalization.
“We live in fear of who will be arrested next. Will it be another brother in Christ? Will it be me? But we must continue to walk with God. We build upon what others have done before us.”
Eritrean Christian
What is persecution like in Eritrea?
Eritrea is one of the world’s most difficult places to be a follower of Jesus. The government recognises only four religious groupings. These exclude most Evangelical and Pentecostal groups, who are treated as illegal. Christians who worship outside state-sanctioned churches face intense surveillance, violent police raids and indefinite imprisonment – often in brutally shocking conditions. Converts from Islam or the Eritrean Orthodox Church also risk rejection by their families and social exclusion, in addition to state persecution.
The militarised nature of society compounds repression. People who are forcibly drafted into the military face an indefinite period of service. There is no leniency for anyone unwilling to serve, and Christians in the military caught worshipping are punished severely. Christians face a devastating dilemma: endure persecution and forced service or flee the country through routes made hazardous by trafficking, danger and the risk of torture.
What changed this year?
Eritrea remains one of the world’s most repressive and militarized authoritarian regimes, ruled without interruption by President Isaias Afwerki since independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Raids continue to be carried out on house churches, non-registered Christian communities are consistently shut down, and unjust forced military service continues to be brutally imposed on believers.
Who is most vulnerable to persecution?
Non-traditional Christian groups, such as Evangelical, Pentecostal and Baptist churches, face the harshest repression. Unrecognised by the state, these groups and churches endure raids, imprisonment and systemic marginalisation. Worship is banned, members are labelled foreign agents, and their gatherings are criminalized. At times, the Eritrean Orthodox Church supports state efforts to suppress these groups. Young people are also highly vulnerable, as many are forcibly and indefinitely conscripted into the Eritrean military. Additionally, converts from Islam or Eritrean Orthodoxy can face pressure from their families and community.
What does OPen doors Do to help?
Open Doors works through strategic partnerships and local church networks in Eritrea to provide persecution-response training and discipleship.
How can I be praying?
There are many Christians stuck in Eritrea’s notorious prison system – some detained simply for practising their faith. Pray they will keep their hope alive and be set free.
Ask God to protect and provide for the daily needs of Christians who are arrested or detained for their faith. Pray they will know they aren’t forgotten, and that their families will be comforted.
Eritrea is ruled by a brutal dictatorship. Pray that President Afwerki’s heart would be turned away from oppression and towards the love of Jesus.