Release International

Sixty-eight Christians have been jailed by the Eritrean authorities since the new year.

The first swoop took place at the Sawa military training centre, near the Sudanese border. Military commanders searched the belongings of student conscripts in a 'random check-up on the activities of Christian extremists' -- and arrested 35 teenagers with Bibles.

Some 250 Bibles were discovered and subsequently burnt in front of the whole base. The 35 detainees were ordered to undergo 'severe military punishment', says Compass Direct.

The second raid as part of what appears to be a national crackdown on church activities took place in the northern town of Keren on January 5. Officers took the unprecedented step of arresting eight staff members from within government ministries, all of them Christians. Compass Direct says that this is the first time government ministry staff have been arrested simply on the basis of their religious beliefs.

Meanwhile, in the coastal city of Assab in the south, police arrested 25 Christians, including seven women, in their homes, workplaces and schools. This group were all taken to the Wi'a military camp and have reportedly faced pressure to recant their faith.

Eritrea has been one of the world's worst violators of religious freedom since it banned all faith groups except Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran groups in 2002.

Ask God to strengthen the faith of the 68 Christians recently detained in Eritrea.

Pray that the powerful witness of these Christians in jail and that of their families at home will bring many others to Christ. Pray that the church will grow in Eritrea.

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