When you are disappeared for 21 years

Seven men. I struggle to pronounce their names, yet I pray for them by name:

Rev Haile Naizge

Dr Kuflu Gebremeskel

Rev Million Gebreselassie (also known as Meron)

Dr Futsum Gebrenegus

Dr Tekleab Menghisteab

Rev Gebremedhin Gebregiorgis

Rev Kidane Weldou

These are seven fellow disciples of Jesus — leaders of his church in Eritrea — who were taken 21 years ago and thrown into arbitrary detention.

They’ve been held incommunicado ever since. No contact with loved ones, no charges, no trial, and no idea when — or if — they will be released.

Twenty-one years. Isolated. Forgotten. All for their faithful witness to Christ. A hard road indeed.

Eritrea rarely makes the news, though it was under British administration from 1941–1952. A small East African country of around 3.7 million people, with between 47% and 63% of the population identifying as Christian. But under its authoritarian regime, information is tightly controlled.

Often dubbed “the North Korea of Africa”, Eritrea is one of the most hostile places in the world for Christians who openly confess Jesus as Lord. I often ask myself how I would cope in such an environment. Jesus’ words — “Take up your cross and follow me” — have a very literal ring in such places.

Take Pastor Kidane Weldou, senior pastor of the Full Gospel Church in Asmara. Once a secondary school biology teacher with a degree from Asmara University, he also served on the executive committee of Gideons International in Eritrea. (I’d never thought of the Gideons as a subversive group before.)

He vanished from the streets of Asmara in March 2005. His car was later found abandoned. Now in his early 70s, Kidane is believed to be held in the Wengel Mermera high-security prison in the capital. No charges. No indication of release. No justice.

Most heartbreaking of all — he has not seen his wife, Tirhas, or his four daughters in 20 years.

The last reported sighting of him was in 2021 at an eye clinic, possibly related to diabetes — a condition likely worsened by inadequate prison care.

Kidane and the six others named above represent just a handful of Eritrea’s many prisoners of conscience. By August 2024, at least 400 Christians — including women and children — were thought to be detained arbitrarily. Numbers change constantly due to waves of arrest, release, and rearrest.

So what?

So everything. These suffering Christians are not far-off statistics — they are our family. Our responsibility.

“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:3)   That’s about as clear a call to action as you can get.

So we pray — and we pray intelligently. We follow and support groups like Open Doors and Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), both of which stand alongside persecuted Christians around the world.

This call to intercession should especially shape our gathered worship. One of my personal missions is to encourage more imaginative and informed intercessions when we meet together — prayers that reflect God’s heart for justice and courage, not just requests for sunshine at the summer garden party.

As Max Lucado reminds us:

 “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it — not in the one who says it — our prayers do make a difference.”

So we pray boldly — for persecuted Christians, for all prisoners of conscience.

I use CSW’s daily prayer diary, and this week we are praying for the work of the United Nations. Today, specifically, we pray that the UN will renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea at the 59th session of the Human Rights Council.

The Rapporteur is a vital voice, publishing detailed annual reports on rights abuses in Eritrea — including indefinite conscription, torture, and enforced disappearances. Now, Eritrea has moved to end the mandate — the first time a state has tried to terminate such a role. A clear attempt to avoid scrutiny and close the curtain on what’s really happening.

Jesus speaks to us directly:

“I was in prison and you came to visit me… whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:36, 40)

If you want to write:

Kidane Weldou

Wengel Mermera

Asmara, Eritrea

You’ll need a £2.50 stamp — that’s the current Royal Mail rate for letters to Eritrea (World Zone 2).