Jailed Church Leaders Released

12 March 2003

Evangelical church leaders Kiros Meles and Abebayeh Desalegn were released from prison on March 7 after being jailed without charges for 10 months in the northern Ethiopian town of Maychew. According to a report by Compass Direct, the magistrate found no basis for the charges, calling their imprisonment "a shame."

The men were arrested after a riot in April 2002 in which an Ethiopian Orthodox man was killed. The local police accused the two evangelical leaders, even though the shot came from the local police chief's gun and an off-duty police officer was also jailed. Local Christians are skeptical that charges will ever be laid against the police officer.

Join with us in thanking God that these men have been released. Pray for Ethiopian Christians as they face opposition.

Ethiopia

Current Ministry Project
VOMC has partnered with a ministry to strengthen the witness of the local church by equipping evangelists with the means to build sustainability through the development of a small business in a tentmaker project.

Project Fund: Relief and Development
Country Information
Population
116,462,712 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Oromo (35.8), Amara (24.1), Somali (7.2), Tigray (5.7), Sidama (4.1), Guragie (2.6), Welaita (2.3), Afar (2.2), Silte (1.3), Kefficho (1,2), Other (13.5) (2022 est.)

Religion (%)
Ethiopian Orthodox (43.8), Muslim (31.3), Protestant (22.8), Catholic (0.7), traditional (0.6), other (0.8)

Leader
President Taye Atske Selassie (2024)

Government type
Federal parliamentary republic

Legal system
Civil law system

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Ethiopia
Ask the Lord to direct Ethiopia's governmental leaders as they continue to work toward solutions to the ongoing religious tensions in the country. While this is taking place, pray that His people will not become weary in doing what is right. Rather, may they be further strengthened and encouraged to boldly proclaim the Gospel, overcoming hatred with the powerful love of Christ.

Ethiopia News

Orthodox Villages Attacked by Militant Muslims

Orthodox worshippers in Ethiopia.
Photo: Unsplash / Abanezer Shewaga

For more than 1,400 years, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has coexisted with Muslim communities in a unique truce with only occasional tension between them. (This long-standing relationship traces back to the year 615, when the King of Aksum granted asylum to a group of early Muslims.) Any subsequent religious opposition in Ethiopia has primarily been between adherents of one of these two religions and those belonging to other groups, including evangelical Christians. In recent months, however, there has been a troubling shift. Militant Islamic groups have reportedly begun targeting Orthodox Christian communities, particularly in areas of the country that are now primarily Muslim.

Read more...
Christian Workers Attacked While Constructing Church

This man was attacked while building a church.
Photo: VOM International

On April 7th, a group of Christians were working to construct a church building when they were violently attacked by a mob of Muslim militants. Armed with machetes, the attackers attempted to stop the construction, wounding several of the workers who were present.

Read more...
Open-Air Evangelists Attacked

These Christian evangelists were attacked
while preaching the Gospel.

On February 9th, two Christian evangelists were attacked by Muslim militants while preaching within an open-air market in central Ethiopia. As a result of the incident, both men suffered severe head injuries and thereby had to be transported to a local hospital. Details surrounding their current conditions have not yet been released at the time of publishing this report.

Read more...
Attacked Church Seeks New Meeting Location

The remains of the church building.
Photo: VOMC Ministry Partner

On July 29th, a small congregation in Ethiopia was attacked by hostile community members who were opposed to the church's presence in their village. During the incident, the attackers dismantled the simple shelter where the Christians had been meeting, and then they proceeded to steal its structural materials. (For more details about this incident, see this report.)

Read more...