5Eritrea

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.

Meet Paulos

“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.”

Paulos* (not his real name), an Eritrean Christian.

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.