Violence in Jijiga, Ethiopia

According to reports received by VOMC, on May 24, as many as one hundred Muslim youth rioted in the streets of the eastern Ethiopian city of Jijiga, throwing stones at the homes and businesses of Christians in the community. The riots apparently began after rumours that a Christian-run restaurant was using pages from the Quran to wrap food.

Three days later, three businesses owned by Ethiopian Orthodox Christians were bombed. Forty-two people were injured in simultaneous attacks on the Central Hotel, London Café and Family Café at around 8:00 p.m. The state-run Ethiopian News Agency referred to the attacks as "futile attempts to disrupt the ongoing development programs in the region." However, VOMC sources in the area report the arrests of a Somali evangelist Hussen Rahafa and two believers named Ishmael and Mohamed who work for a Christian radio station in Kenya. The prisoners are reportedly advising local believers not to visit them in jail for fear of further arrests. The authorities have searched their homes and confiscated tracts, Bible and other Christian literature to be used as evidence against them. The three men have not yet been charged and there is no indication how long they will remain in this legal limbo. In 2005, another evangelist was kept in jail in Jijiga for more than a year without being charged.
More:
http://www.persecution.net

Prayer Requests

• Pray for safety for evangelicals in Ethiopia.
• Pray that the authorities will be willing to oppose those who use violence in the name of religion.
• Pray for Christians facing various hardships as a result of this opposition.