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PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN ERITREA – AMONGST THE MOST SAVAGE IN THE WORLD. Religious freedom is a fundamental human right. The Eritrean government’s actions stand in stark violation of this principle. Persecution of Christians here is amongst the most savage in the world. The scale of human rights abuses is so high that the country has earned for itself the epithet “Africa’s North Korea”. Most churches are completely outlawed in Eritrea. Even those that are permitted face harassment and persecution. Many believers are in prison. In an interview, another pastor described forced labour, cramped and overcrowded cells, beatings and torture. “Whenever you go into prison, they don’t tell you how long you will stay,” he said. Many will never be released. Thousands of Christians are enduring these abuses right now. Pastors and church leaders often receive the worst treatment.

For more than 20 years, four courageous Christian pastors have been unjustly detained in Eritrea without charges. Their crime? Practising their faith and serving their communities. Who Are They?
*Pastor Haile Naizghe: A former senior accountant with World Vision who dedicated his life to spiritual care.
*Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel: A mathematics lecturer with a Ph.D. from the United States, committed to education and faith.
*Pastor Meron Gebreselasie: An anesthetist who provided critical medical care to his neighbours.
*Pastor Kidane Weldou: A secondary school biology teacher who inspired many through his teaching and leadership.
These men were arrested in the early 2000s for their leadership in local churches. Instead of fostering their invaluable contributions to Eritrean society, they remain imprisoned under appalling conditions, without access to critical medical care. International Christian Concern is calling upon Christians and freedom loving countries to hold Eritrea accountable, calling on the government there, to  stand against religious persecution and sectarian prejudice, and advocate for justice and human dignity. [Source: International Christian Concern]

PENETRATING MAURITANIA’S DARKNESS
Praise God for Mauritania’s small Christian community, whose believers are courageous witnesses in a country of immense hardship for any non-Muslims. Forty years ago, Mauritania was thought to be the only country on Earth with no indigenous believers, but that is not so today. The exact number cannot be confirmed, but some estimates put it as high as 8,000. Christians from other African countries, whose evangelism helped initiate this growth, have a vital role in encouraging and teaching the locally grown church in what is still a hostile environment. [Source: Barnabas Aid]

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN D. R. CONGO?
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is suffering a humanitarian crisis caused by armed conflict. At least 7,000 people have died and up to 80,000 have fled the country. Many Christians are among the dead and the displaced, including those targeted by the Islamic State Central Africa Province. There seems to be no sign of an end to the violence. Tens of thousands have been displaced by the violence that has raged across north-eastern D. R. Congo since the beginning of 2025. The main driver of the recent conflict is the M23 Movement.
The M23 Movement (the name refers to March 23 – the date of a peace agreement signed in 2009 that the group rejects) claims to be defending the rights of the Tutsi ethnic minority. The group was founded in 2012 and waged an armed rebellion against the Congolese authorities across North Kivu in the months that followed. The rebellion was unsuccessful, and the group was largely dormant until November 2021, when it received backing from neighbouring Rwanda. The government of Rwanda denies any role in supporting M23, but international experts believe that the rebel group is backed by 3-4,000 Rwandan troops.
Since 27 January 2025 the M23 have seized several important cities in the north of the DRC.  Their fighters are accused of massacring civilians in the areas they control. Their leaders have spoken of marching to Kinshasa, the capital city, many miles to the west. International observers believe that as many as 7,000 people have died since M23 began its advance in January. It is believed that many believers are among them, but the M23 is not targeting Christians as such. Along with the 7,000 deaths that have been reported as a result of the conflict, as many as 80,000 people have fled the country. Hundreds of thousands more are internally displaced (it was estimated that before January there were already 7.3 million internally displaced people in DRC).
However. Christians, are being targeted by another armed group, the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP). ISCAP  first pledged allegiance to the central Islamic State in 2017. Since then the terrorist group has killed almost 6,000 Christians in Northern DCR. These killings are often the subject of posts on Islamic State social media channels, in which the terrorists boast of killing “infidel Christians”. Barnabas Aid contacts say that the victims are sometimes given the opportunity to convert to Islam and save their lives. Many refuse, and are slaughtered. Reports just to hand, state that at least 47 more Christians have been killed by Islamist terrorists in north-eastern DRC since the beginning of March. The terrorists also burned down 15 homes and several motorbikes.
Sadly, these overlapping crises – poverty, food shortages, civil war, Islamist terrorism, human rights abuses – have the potential to cause tens of thousands of deaths and ruin innumerable lives. Thank the Lord that Barnabas Aid is already sending emergency aid – food, medical supplies, tents and blankets. [Sources: Barnabas Aid and other media outlets]

3 IRANIAN CHRISTIANS RECEIVE PRISON SENTENCES TOTALLING MORE THAN 40 YEARS
Three Iranian Christian converts from Islam have received prison sentences totalling more than 40 years on charges concerning their beliefs and involvement in worship meetings. Revolutionary Court Judge Iman Afshari announced the sentences on 8 March to Abbas Soori, Mehran Shamloui and Narges Nasri, who is four months pregnant with her first child.
*Narges, 37 years old, was sentenced to a total of 16 years. She received 10 years for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law”, five for membership of a house church (deemed to be an “opposition group”) and one year for “propaganda against the state” after she expressed support for the Women, Life, Freedom movement on social media.
*Abbas, 48, received a sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment. The term comprises 10 years for “propaganda activities” and five for belonging to an “opposition group”.
*The sentences for Mehran, 37, for the same charges were eight years for “propaganda activities” and two years and eight months for membership of an “opposition group”.
The sentences included deprivation of social rights – for example, restrictions on their employment. This restriction applies for 15 years in the case of Narges and Abbas, 11 years for Mehran. Narges and Abbas were each fined 330 million tomans ($US5,830), and Mehran was fined 250 million tomans ($US4,580) for Mehran. On conclusion of their prison terms, Narges and Abbas must serve two years of internal exile outside their home province of Tehran, during which time they are banned from leaving Iran. The three believers were arrested during a series of raids by intelligence agents in November 2024.
PRAY that Narges, Abbas and Mehran will be filled with hope and know the Lord’s presence, purpose and comfort as they endure these long sentences. Ask for wisdom in lawyers representing them in seeking to overturn these harsh verdicts. [Barnabas Aid]

CHRISTIANS BRUTALLY ATTACKED BY MYANMAR MILITARY FORCES
“A total of 1,500 houses have been destroyed, leaving families homeless and struggling to survive,” said our project partner in Myanmar in an email to Barnabas. Five Christian villages close to the Myanmar border with India have been laid waste following repeated air strikes and bombardments by the country’s military. Around 7,500 villagers from these farming communities have been forced to flee, including many who are elderly or very young. The rice fields upon which they rely for sustenance lie abandoned. The need for basic food supplies is urgent. Families are seeking shelter wherever they can – in churches, school buildings or camps for displaced people – but they are constantly having to move to avoid further attacks. The number of such attacks has increased since February 2021 when the military took power in a coup.
With daily threats from war, their lives remain uncertain and unsafe – a grave humanitarian crisis is unfolding, Yet one certainty remains for our brothers and sisters, and that is their love for our Saviour Jesus Christ. “Wherever they take refuge, they gather to worship, pray, and support one another spiritually, demonstrating their unwavering devotion, even amid the hardships of war and insecurity,” reports the Barnabas partner. [Source: Barnabas Aid]

FEW CHRISTIANS IN LIBYA
Libya is divided between rival Islamic factions and plagued by lawlessness, leaving the small number of Christians vulnerable to attacks. In Libya, following Jesus is a huge risk for anyone. Libyan Christians with a Muslim background face violent pressure from their families and communities to renounce their faith. At best, Libyan Christians face ostracism and harassment, while even foreign Christian aid workers risk maltreatment and detention, and those from sub-Saharan Africa, are targeted by Islamist militant and criminal groups. These groups kidnap and sometimes brutally kill Christians.
And so, Christians who openly express their faith or try to share it with others risk arrest and violent opposition. The lack of a central government to enforce law and order makes the situation even more precarious. Libya’s ‘morality police’ enforce dress codes and limit internal travel, further marginalising non-Muslims. Despite these challenges, the few Christians in Libya continue to practise their faith by meeting discreetly and supporting one another in very difficult circumstances. [Source; Open Doors]

– compiled by Guido Kettniss