On February 5, 12 Christians who were held at the Adi-Nefase military camp in Assab, Eritrea for the past two years were released on bail. The believers, who are members of the Kale-Hiwot Church, were only teenagers at the time of their arrests. Upon their release, they were warned that they will be executed if they are caught participating in Christian activities.

Two other Christians, Aklilu Tesfamichel and Gebru Tesfayon, were released on bail on February 15 from the Mitire Military Confinement Centre. The men, members of the Rhema Church in Adi-Kuala, had been detained in the camp for the past year and a half after they were caught witnessing about Christ to fellow military soldiers. Upon their release, they were sent back to the military units where they had served before their arrests.

Elsewhere in the country, Eritrean security officials arrested seven Christians gathered together for prayer in a private home in Asmara on February 18. The seven believers, Nagassi, Dawit, Nahum, Ghebreab, Alem, Eden and Rigbe, were taken to an unknown location.

Christian sources inside Eritrea estimate that over 2,000 Christians remain incarcerated in harsh detention centres for their refusal to stop worshiping outside of the government sanctioned religious communities. Among the detained believers are at least 38 leaders of underground churches who remain in prison without formal charges. Seventeen of them have now spent more than five years in prison. (Sources: Open Doors USA, International Christian Concern)

Thank the Lord for the release of the 14 believers. Pray for the Lord's guidance for them as they adjust to life outside prison. Pray for the peace and mercy of Christ to sustain the thousands of other Christians who remain detained in Eritrea.

For more information on the severe persecution facing Eritrean Christians, go to the Eritrea Country Report.