Ethiopia (MNN)–Voice of the Martyrs Canada sources in Ethiopia say persecution facing Christians near the Sudanese border is under-reported.
Because of the oppression facing believers, much of the news trickles out by messengers on foot. Many of the reports surfaced in the regions of Bambesi and Tongo, and what they’re saying is grim.
In the last three months, the harvest of more than thirty-five Christians has been destroyed; this created severe hardship for the families of these subsistence farmers. VOMC was able to provide some funds for their needs.
Just five weeks ago, hundreds of Muslims occupied the compound of a Christian woman and forcibly erected a mosque on her property. The building was erected as part of a plan to build a mosque every two kilometres.
Prior to that, the home of an evangelist named Tareku from the village of Begge was destroyed and the building where almost seventy new believers gathered for worship was also burned down.
But one horrific incident stands out. On July 5, VOMC sources report that a convert from Islam named Shek Hamed Adem was severely beaten and hanged on a cross.
While beating him, the crowd told him, “Jesus was hanged on a cross and beaten and as his follower you also deserve the same punishment.”
Team members attribute the persecution to continued church growth. They’re told that young people who convert are expelled from their homes and forced to live on the streets or work as house servants.
Evangelical meetings are regularly broken up by mobs who beat and occasionally kill, those gathered. The reports are still coming to light. More details on these and other incidents are expected to be released. In the meantime, pray for those involved in evangelistic work in Ethiopia.
