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Youths in Ethiopia are frequently driven from their homes when they turn to Christ, including these youths from Alaba in southern Ethiopia |
On January 8, the homes of three Christian families were burned by Muslims in the village of Begge. Although the family belongings were burned, no one was injured in the attack. All of the family belongings were burned but no one was injured in the attacks. Tareku Meres, Jemal Tasesa and Tamene Gemechu and their families are currently taking shelter at a local gospel church. At last report, the police have not investigated the incident or taken any action to bring the arsonists to justice. For the past three months, ten Christian youths have also been living in a church building in Begge after fleeing from their homes. They were chased from their homes after their families threatened to execute them for converting from Islam.
On January 5, a Christian man named Ajja Delge was killed by an unknown person in the town of Kofele. Delge, a father of five, was walking near his house when he was hit on the head with a metal iron. His body was found in a nearby jungle the following day. His family believes that he was killed by Muslims. Since the Kofele area is dominated by Muslims, local Christians believe it is unlikely that the police will conduct a proper investigation into Delge's murder.
Ask God to sustain and comfort Ajja's loved ones in their grief. Pray that the Christians who are homeless will have a deep assurance of the Lord's never-ending love, even in the midst of very trying circumstances (Ephesians 3:14-19). Pray that persecutors of Christians in Ethiopia will come to repentance and salvation, just as Paul did. (Acts 9:1-19).
For more information on persecution in Ethiopia, click here. Amateur video footage showing the aftermath of an attack on Christians in Jimma, Ethiopia in October 2005 is available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.
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