CHAD: EIGHT CHRISTIAN YOUNG PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR SHARING THEIR FAITH

Please join us in praying for 8 christian young people who were arrested after they had spent a day in the city of N’Djamena sharing their faith in different NEIGHBOURHOODS.

On Saturday 21 June the seven young men and one young woman gathered together from various churches for a planned day of evangelising to their communities. After visiting the neighbourhoods of Kamda, Amtoukouin and Sabangali, they went to the home of one of their classmates to pray together before ending the day. 

According to bystanders, a military vehicle stopped outside the house and the eight young people were arrested. They were taken to the central police station, but various local news sources reported that all eight youth were then moved from the police station to an unknown destination. So far their parents have received no information about where their children are or the reason for their arrest and detention. 

Image: Children in Chad

Open Doors local partners suspect that Muslim leaders in the neighbourhoods where the young people were sharing their faith called the police to inform them that Christian youth were trying to ‘force’ the conversion of young Muslims.
  
Another local evangelist told Open Doors partners that this was not an isolated incident. She shared that her family have also been on the receiving end of intimidation, threats and arrest:

“Since we started our ministry, Muslim leaders attack us in the field,” she shared. Her husband has been arrested at least six times for organising evangelism events. 

Hostility towards Christians is growing in Chad, especially towards those who openly share their faith. Although Chad is a secular republic, Islam is the majority religion and is woven into many aspects of culture and identity, which causes some to show hostility and intolerance towards Christians. 

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