Pray for Eritrea

Reading this breaks my heart.

Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa.

It is bordered by the Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south
and Djibouti in the southeast.

The capital is Asmara
The population is 6 million

FACTS
Eritrea is the Italian form of the Greek name 'Erythraíā' which means 'Red land.'

Eritrea has always been strategic due to its Red Sea coastline.

DEMOGRAPHICS
Tigrinya 55%
Tigre 30%
Saho 4%
Kunama 2%
Rashaida 2%
Bilen 2%
Other 5% (Afar, Beni-Amer, Nara)

50% Muslim
48% Christian
2%  Animst

HISTORY
Eritrea's history goes back thousands of years and has seen many kingdoms.

The Kingdom of D'met covered southern Eritrea and northern Ethiopia
from the 8th-7th century B.C.

The Kingdom of Aksum, covered much of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia
during the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D.

Over the centuries many different countries invaded or colonized the area:
Arabians, Ottomans, Portuguese, Egyptians, British and Italians.

In 1890 Eritrea became an official colony of Italy.

In 1941 Britain took over Eretria.

In 1947 Eritrea became part of a federation with Ethiopia.

Subsequent annexation by Ethiopia in 1950 led to the Eritrean War of Independence
(1950-1991)
The war lasted for 40 years and cost 65,000 lives.

Eritrean became independent in 1991.

Squabbles with Ethiopia flared up into another war (1998-2000)killing 70,000 people.

CONDITIONS
The is largely based on subsistence agriculture.
65% of the population is involved in farming and herding.

For years Eritrea has been devastated by war and drought.
The was with Ethiopia severely damaged the economy.
Eritrea still carries the wounds from decades of war.

The human rights record of Eritrea is very poor.
Since the war with Ethiopia that record has worsened.

Freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association are very limited.

The government imprisons tens of thousands of citizens.

SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS
The government sees Christians and evangelicals as a threat to national
security because of their allegiance to God over the state.

The government pursues a systematic policy to eradicate Evangelicals.

Eritrea is one of the harshest persecutors of Christians in the world.

In 2002, the government ordered all independent Protestant churches closed.
All Christian groups except the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran are
banned in Eritrea.

Over the past three years, religious repression has escalated.

Nearly every evangelical in Eritrea has been arrested at least once.

At least 3,000 Eritrean Christians are currently imprisoned for their beliefs.

Some have been held in underground cells or metal shipping containers in an effort
to pressure them to recant their faith.

At a meeting in October 2010, Mustafa Nur Hussein ordered the extermination
of all evangelical Christians from his province by the end of 2010.

Up to 500 Eritreans flee their country every week.

Thousands have fled as refugees into neighboring Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.
Refugees in Sudan and Ethiopia continue to face the threat of repatriation.

Hundreds of Eritrean Christians enter Egypt each month.
Some refugees die while attempting the 900-mile journey through Egypt.
Others are shot to death as they cross the borders.

Many refugees end up in Egyptian prisons or held hostage by Bedouin nomads,
who frequently work with human traffickers.
Hostages who cannot pay the ransom are killed.

MARTYRS AND SUFFERERS
Experts say there are at least 3,000 Christians in prison in Eritrea.
Some have been in prison since 2002 without ever being charged
or brought to court,
Many of their families have no news from the prisoners in months.

Conditions in prisons are very bad.
Prisoners are tortured regularly.
Prisoners often suffer from malnutrition, malaria and poor hygiene.

At least 16 Christians have died in custody since 2002
The death were mostly due to torture, treatable illnesses and malnutrition.

Ninety Christians have been arrested in Eritrea in the last two months
Six of the 90 arrested have been released, but the location of the other
84 is unknown.

Mehari Gebreneguse Asgedom, 42, died in solitary confinement at the Mitire
Military Confinement Center on Jan. 16, 2009, from torture and complications
from diabetes.

In October, Teklesenbet Gebreab Kiflom died while imprisoned for his faith
at the Wi'a Military Confinement Center. He reportedly died after prison
commanders refused to give him medical attention for malaria.

Eritrean authorities released two pregnant Christian women from jail days before
their expected delivery dates. The women had been incarcerated for three months,
along with about 100 other Christians who were arrested in a year-end crackdown
on evangelicals by Eritrea's communist government.

On June 2, 2011, police arrested 26 college students from Mai-Mefhi College
of Technology.

In May, 64 Christians in a village near the Eritrean capital of Asmara were arrested
and detained at Asmara's 6th Police Station.
Sources believe the arrested Christians either remain at the police station or have been moved to Mitire Prison in northeastern Eritrea.
Mitire is a remote military prison that is notorious for torture and its harsh living
and working conditions.

Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel, a leading figure of Full Gospel Church of Eritrea, founder
and senior pastor of Southwest Full Gospel Church and member of the executive committee to the Full Gospel Church of Eritrea, was arrested in 2004. His wife and four children have not been able to visit him.

Pastor Kidane Weldou disappeared and is presumably detained by Eritrean security forces.
For many days his family has been unable to learn his whereabouts.

Other Full Gospel pastors still being held include Haile Nayzgi

There are currently between 500 and 600 Eritrean prisoners in Egyptian custody.
As many as 200 are currently held by traffickers.

PRAYER NEEDS
Pray for those who have suffered and lost loved ones in the wars.

Pray that there will a be an end to the hostility between Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Pray that God's people in prison and their families be given strength.

Pray that international pressure bring an end to the government's repressive policies

Pray for wisdom for church members now leading congregations following the arrest
of their pastors.