In 1952, Eritrea joined Ethiopia as part of a federation. When Ethiopia annexed Eritrea as a province 10 years later, a struggle for independence began that ended with victory by the Eritrean rebels in 1991. In 1998, a border war with Ethiopia began, ending with a peace agreement through intervention from the U.N. in December 2000, though Eritrea and Ethiopia have yet to agree as to exactly where the border lies between the two countries.

There was generally freedom to practice religion in Eritrea until 2002, when the government announced it would recognize only four religious communities: the Orthodox Church of Eritrea, Sunni Islam, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran-affiliated Evangelical Church of Eritrea. Since then, hundreds of evangelical Christians have been arrested for practicing what officials are calling "a new religion."

Close to two thousand believers remain in Eritrean prisons where they face deplorable conditions, including torture at the hands of authorities.  Where daytime temperatures can soar above 40 degrees Celsius, many believers are held in metal shipping containers with no ventilation or toileting facilities. Helen Berhane, a well-known gospel singer and member of the Rema Evangelical Church in Asmara, was arrested in May 2004 after she refused to sign a statement renouncing her Christian faith. While in detention, she spent most of her time locked inside a metal shipping container without any contact with her family or access to medical care. In October 2006 she was released and eventually escaped the country and was granted asylum in Denmark.  However, she was crippled due to the mistreatment she suffered while imprisoned.

Even children are not exempt from persecution in Eritrea. In August 2008, authorities locked up eight Christian students of the Sawa Defense Training Centre in metal shipping containers for objecting to the burning of hundreds of Bibles that had been confiscated from new students, according to a report from Compass Direct.

Despite this open persecution, the government continues to support its statement issued in May 2003 that "no groups or persons are persecuted in Eritrea for their beliefs or religion."  Of the two thousand Christians in detention, not one has yet been charged with a crime or faced trial.

• Pray that those imprisoned will stand firm in their faith.
• Pray that the government will stop the campaign against evangelicals and will allow freedom of religion for all.