Ethiopia (MNN) — A prolonged conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has displaced about one-third of its residents. It’s a dangerous place right now; reports suggest even civilians have been targets of violence.
Eric Foley of the Voice of the Martyrs Korea says refugees from neighboring Eritrea find themselves most at risk. “It’s very difficult for those camps to receive the basic provisions that they need to provide aid to the camp residents. And of course, it becomes harder and harder for them to provide security. So at the moment we, with our partners there, are examining some possible cases of the re-kidnapping or repatriation of Eritrean Christian refugees back to Eritrea. These, of course, are very hard cases to check out. The region is almost inaccessible to outsiders and even to those inside the Tigray region. Their day-to-day life is really focused on just trying to find enough food to survive.”
Christians in the Tigray region
But Christians in the Tigray region open their homes to refugees and others in need, offering shelter and what little food they have. VOM Korea walks alongside these believers. Foley says, “They’re just such a disciplined and joyful bunch of Christians. It would be easy for Christians around the world to ignore them because it’s just a small little country, a small little church. But they’re not going anywhere. They believe that God has given them a mission to care for Eritrean Christian refugees. And they are going to accomplish that mission.”
Praise God for these Christians and their witness to the love of Jesus in one of the most war-torn areas on Earth.
The header image shows the Tigray town of Axum, an ancient city that has suffered heavily during the fighting. (Photo courtesy of JensiS65, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
