4 CHRISTIANS ARRESTED IN HARGEYSA

The Somaliland Police in Hargeysa has raided the home of a Somali Christian couple, Mohamed and Hayaat, on Thursday, 21 January 2021. The raid came shortly before midnight. Hayaat delivered a baby daughter two weeks ago by C-section, and she has not yet fully recovered. Again, on Saturday, Hamda, a Somali Christian lady visiting Hargeisa from Mogadishu, and an Ethiopian Christian lady named Esther were also arrested. There are currently four Christians in custody in Hargeisa. Local reports indicate that Esther would soon be deported to Ethiopia.

Hamda is now very sick in prison and needs urgent medical attention. Hamda’s infant daughter is also ailing, and the Christian community is worried about her conditions. 

Another Somali Christian couple, Awale and Muna, was arrested in Hargeysa in September 2020 because of their Christian faith. The couple was eventually deported to Ethiopia via Mogadishu in November. 

Both the people and the government of Somaliland are known to be tolerant. The repeated raids on local Christian homes create anxiety in the tiny Somali Christian community in Hargeisa. 

Local sources have confirmed to Somalis For Jesus (SFJ) that radical Islamists have infiltrated the Somaliland Police Force in Hargeysa. Both Muslim and Christian sources point the finger at a former journalist turned radical Islamist, Abdimalik Muse Oldon. Oldon, as he is known, publicly denounced the Somaliland government in November when Awala and Muna were deported from Somaliland. Oldon chastised the government for not severely punishing the Christian couple. 

The Somaliland government released Oldon from prison in June 2020. However, it became apparent quickly that he was radicalized while in detention. A junior police officer in Hargeisa told SFJ that “the once rational and compassionate journalist is now a raging Islamist.” A Christian source also told SFJ that Oldon openly supports the al-Shabab Islamist group, the most violent Muslim group in Africa. 

It appears that Oldon is targeting the tiny Christian community in Hargeisa with the help of few police officers who are said to be on his payroll. 

Please pray for the Christian community in Hargeysa, especially those detained for their faith because of their walk with the Lord.