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Hundreds of Christian prayer warriors from around the world congregated in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday for the first National Day of Prayer for Eritrea, sharing afterwards that they feel change was imminent.
“We are really expecting miracles,” said one key Eritrean leader, according to U.K.-based human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide. “We are expecting to see the God who answers prayer by fire and to witness divine intervention in our nation.”
Another leader added, “Something huge, beyond our imagination is about to take place.”
The event was organized by the Eritrean Evangelical Fellowship in Africa and the Middle East and reportedly lasted nearly 9 hours.
Many of those that participated were members of the Eritrean Christian diaspora, but attendees also included Kenyan, American, Ethiopian Christians and messianic Jews – one of whom traveled from Israel.
Eritrea is infamous for its persecution of Christians, particularly evangelicals whom the country regards with great suspicion because of its newer history. Reports indicate that the government has raided churches, religious wedding ceremonies, and gatherings to arrest Christians, many of which are imprisoned without trial or charged for an indefinite time. Some are even imprisoned in metal shipping containers under the hot African sun.
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It is estimated that some 2,000 Christians are currently detained.
The U.S. State Department recognizes Eritrea’s horrific religious freedom violations and has designated Eritrea as a “country of particular concern” – the most severe religious freedom label - for three years in a row.
Currently, there is also international concern over the arrest of the ordained Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, Abune Antonios, who was forced out of office in January 2006 and is currently under stringent house arrest. A new patriarch was recently appointed but many religious leaders in the Orthodox Church have accused the government of orchestrating his appointment.
“Now that Eritrea is such a closed nation, we rely on the power of prayer to see an end to the spiritual repression they are suffering,” said Stuart Windsor, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, in a statement. “Christians around the world have a duty to pray for the approximately 2,000 Eritrean Christians, including the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, who are currently indefinitely detained and often tortured for their faith.”
The Eritrean Christian leaders at the event expressed gratitude to Christians around the world for their prayers and concern.
