Tag: East Africa

100 Christians detained, 10 years after Eritrea put Patriarch under house arrest

May 26, 2017 Eritrea Abune Antonios, Adi Quala, East Africa, Eritrea, Pentecostals

The Eritrean government has stepped up its campaign against Christians, arresting almost 100 in the past month. The arrests come as Christians in the repressive East African country mark ten years since government officials placed the Eritrean Orthodox Patriarch under house arrest and incommunicado, and 15 years since the forced . . . Read More

Islamist extremism: a growing phenomenon in East Africa

April 5, 2017 Al-Shabaab, East Africa, Islamic extremism, Salafism, Somalia

Islamist extremism in East Africa frequently centres on Somalia and the violent actions of Al-Shabaab, yet local adherents to extremist versions of Islam can now be found throughout East Africa, reveals the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, in a new report. The growth of the Salafist ideology in the region has . . . Read More

Two Eritrean Christian women die after hunger strike

March 29, 2017 Eritrea Abune Antonios, Asmara, East Africa, Eritrea, Eritrean Orthodox Church, Pentecostals

Two Pentecostal Christians are reported to have died in Eritrea on 17 March, days after being transferred to a hospital from detention, where they had been on hunger strike. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide the two women were detained in Wi’a military camp before being transported to Massawa Hospital in . . . Read More

Tanzanian widow overcomes grief of husband’s murder during spate of church attacks in east Africa

March 15, 2017 Tanzania Acid attacks, Amselmo Mwangamba, Arusha, East Africa, Mwanza, Pentecostals, Tanzania, Zanzibar

“Widows often suffer great loneliness. After I lost Elias I feared that loneliness very much.” Three years on from husband Elias’ death, Mary Lunyamila Meshack recalls how her life changed forever the night he stood guard during an overnight service at their church in Mwanza, on the shores of Lake . . . Read More

Middle East faith & money toxic for Horn of Africa

February 15, 2017 Africa, Al-Shabaab, Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, Eritrea, Houthis, Islamic extremism, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sufi, United Arab Emirates, Wahhabism, Yemen

There’s a long-standing connection between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, shaped by trade and faith. Former BBC Africa Editor Martin Plaut explores this relationship, which has caused increased tensions between and within the countries in the Horn, and which has affected the Christians there badly. Over centuries, . . . Read More

Israel resettling Eritrean refugees in 3rd country

November 29, 2016 East Africa, Eritrea, Israel, Migrants, Refugees, Rwanda, Uganda

Eritreans seeking asylum in Israel are being given the option of resettling in a third country, often Uganda and Rwanda, . But Israel’s ‘policy’ of transferring arrivals from Africa has been criticised. Andie Lambe, executive director of the International Refugee Rights Initiative, an NGO that has conducted extensive research into . . . Read More

Women and children ‘indoctrinated’ in Tanzania

November 22, 2016 Tanzania Africa, Dar es Salaam, East Africa, Islamic State, Kenya, Madrassas, Tanzania

Four women and four children have been arrested in Tanzania, after police raided a house thought to be used for training terrorists. The East African website reported that on Thursday (17 Nov.), security forces from the coastal city of Dar es Salaam arrested the women and children at a house belonging . . . Read More

Eritrean church leaders still in jail 12 years later

April 13, 2016 Eritrea Abune Antonios, Barentu, East Africa, Refugees

Although the tiny East African nation of Eritrea has a population of just 6 million, Eritrea is one of the leading sources of refugees in Europe. There are many reasons for this, but chief among them is a lack of religious freedom. The Eritrean government outlawed worship outside of Islam . . . Read More

A convert’s story

July 31, 2015 Ethiopia Addis Ababa, African Union, Apostasy, Converts, East Africa

U.S. President Barack Obama visited Kenya and Ethiopia 24-28 July, partly to discuss regional security. In Kenya especially, Christians have been targeted by the violent al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab. In the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on 28 July, making an American president’s first speech to the African Union, Obama said . . . Read More

S. Sudan pastors face death penalty on charges of sedition and spying

June 4, 2015 Sudan Darfur, East Africa, Mariam Ibrahim, NISS, Peter Yen, South Kordofan, South Sudan, Sudan, Yat Michael

After several false starts, the trial of two South Sudanese pastors, Yat Michael, 49, and Peter Yen, 37, who stand accused of crimes against the state of Sudan and could face the death penalty, has been rescheduled again to 15 June. The court is then due to hear testimony from . . . Read More

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