“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
1 Timothy 4:8
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Iran – Christian convert released after 15 months in prison
We give thanks for the release from prison of Laleh Saati, an Iranian Christian convert from Islam, after serving 15 months of her two-year sentence.
Laleh, 46, was convicted of “acting against national security by connecting with ‘Zionist’ Christian organizations” after being arrested in February 2024 (see Prayer Focus Update, May 2024). She was released from Tehran’s Evin Prison on May 31.
However, her release is conditional on refraining from communicating with media or pursuing any contacts abroad. She is also banned from traveling outside Iran for two years, a ban that became active upon her release.
Laleh lived for some time in Malaysia, where she was baptized. She returned to Iran in 2017 because of the protracted asylum process and to care for her elderly parents in Iran.
On her return intelligence agents found evidence of her alleged actions against national security, including involvement in “house churches” in Iran and footage of Christian activities in Malaysia, including her baptism, discovered on her mobile phone.
Since Farsi (Persian)-speaking Christians are converts from Islam, they are punishable as apostates according to Islamic law. Unlike the historic Armenian- and Assyrian-speaking Christian communities they are not permitted to hold church services or worship freely.
Praise God for Laleh’s release from this harsh imprisonment. Pray for her spiritual, physical and mental rehabilitation as she adjusts to freedom. Pray that she will know true freedom in her spirit (John 8:36) and find her place in the Body of Christ despite the constraints in the conditions of her release that apply. Ask that Laleh’s case will have implications way beyond Iran’s borders as immigration authorities worldwide realize that Christians face persecution in their countries of origin when asylum claims are delayed or rejected.
Nigeria – Attacks in Benue and Kwara states kill at least 250 Christians
The constant refrain of multiple deaths of Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt must drive us to prayer. Yet again Benue State (see Prayer Focus Update, June 2025) has been the scene of killing in attacks by suspected Islamists.
In the most recent incident, at least 200 people were killed and 6,500 displaced following attacks by gunmen on communities in Benue State, whose population is 98% Christian.
It was feared that the death toll could rise above 300 as more bodies are recovered from the ashes of hundreds of burned-out homes or from the bush, where villagers fled for their lives.
Militant Fulani Islamists are believed to have carried out the attacks, centered on communities in Guma Local Government Area (LGA), a region that has seen a surge in violence this year.
The onslaught began late on June 13 and raged until the early hours of the following day.
“It was like a war,” said village elder Amos. “In my 57 years on earth, I’ve never witnessed this. I escaped with my third son. My wife and other children were not so lucky. My world ended that Friday night.”
Another survivor, Tsegba Lucy, lost her mother and five siblings after their home was set ablaze by the gunmen. “My beloved mom and beautiful sisters,” she cried. “Go well till we meet again. I love you, but God loves you more.”
The killings followed an attack by gunmen on two other Christian communities in Benue State on Sunday June 1, in which at least 43 people were murdered.
The attacks took place in Gwer West and Apa LGAs of the state.
More than 25 people were shot and killed in Edikwu Ankpati, Apa LGA, at around 7pm. The deaths of 18 others were reported in Tse Antswam, Gwer West, at around the same time.
Chief Daniel Abomtse, the traditional ruler of Gwer West, noted that the attack on Tse Antswam took place opposite a military checkpoint along the Naka-Makurdi road.
Further west, in Kwara State, at least eight people were killed in terrorist attacks on communities in the Baruten LGA.
Seven people died in two attacks on the village of Duruma on June 3.
Gunmen killed three villagers in the early hours before fleeing from approaching soldiers. The terrorists returned in the evening, killing a further four as the residents fled for cover in a nearby forest.
An eighth victim was killed in an armed assault on the nearby town of Karong on Sunday,, June 8, where the attackers also set fire to houses.
The attacks were carried out by a newly formed terrorist group known as Mahmuda, understood to be an offshoot of Boko Haram.
Mahmuda is operating across Kwara State, and has reportedly seized control of some communities in neighboring Niger State.
Attacks by Mahmuda have resulted in widespread displacement, as people flee their vulnerable home villages for the relative safety of larger towns.
Ask the Lord to heal the broken-hearted who have lost loved ones in these horrendous attacks (Psalm 147:3). Lift up Amos, Tsegba Lucy and the many others who grieve, asking that the Lord will meet them in their suffering. Pray for healing for the injured and that the needs of the displaced in Benue and Kwara will be met. Please pray especially for Christians who live in the communities under the emerging threat from Mahmuda terrorists, asking that the Lord will keep them safe. Pray that the authorities will gain greater knowledge in identifying, addressing and overcoming these threats.
Myanmar – Nine killed in airstrike in Kayah State
Please continue in prayer for Christians in Myanmar after nine people were killed and 20 injured in an airstrike on a camp for displaced people in Kayah State, on May 15.
Barnabas Aid contacts said that strikes by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) had increased in frequency in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the country on March 28.
This is despite a pledge by Myanmar’s military government to observe a ceasefire until the end of May.
Kayah State has a large Christian population. Along with the Christian-majority states of Chin, Kachin and Karen it has suffered many military attacks since the coup of February 2021.
Thousands have been displaced, often more than once owing to the bombing of IDP (internally displaced persons) camps.
Pray for an end to attacks on Christians and all civilians in Myanmar. Pray that those who have been bereaved or injured will receive the spiritual, emotional and practical help they need. Ask the Lord to protect those displaced by both the ongoing conflict and the recent earthquake. Pray that His people will know His presence and provision whatever testing times they experience (Isaiah 43:2).
Uganda – Suspected Islamist attack on Christian Martyrs’ Day thwarted
An attempt to kill Christians in Uganda was prevented by intervention of security forces that resulted in the death of two suspected Islamist terrorists.
The pair were killed on June 3 as they approached a memorial in the capital Kampala where Christians were gathering to remember martyred believers. They were riding a motorcycle close to the Munyonyo Martyrs’ Shrine, commemorating Christians killed for their faith in the nineteenth century, when they were “intercepted and neutralized” by a Ugandan army counter-terrorism unit, said military spokesman Chris Magezi.
One of those killed was a female suicide bomber carrying powerful explosives. It is understood that these explosive devices were detonated during the operation, killing her and the motorcycle driver.
The two terrorists are reported to be linked to Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP – formerly known as the Allied Democratic Forces), which is based in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In 2023, ISCAP carried out a massacre at a Christian boarding school in western Uganda (see Prayer Focus Update, July 2023), and attempted to bomb a number of churches in Ugandan cities.
Martyrs’ Day is a national holiday in Uganda and honors 45 Christians killed between 1885 and 1887 for refusing to renounce their faith and revert back to their traditional religion.
Praise the Lord that the terrorists’ plans were thwarted. Give thanks for the vigilance of the security forces in preventing an even greater loss of life. Pray that such attempts will serve to strengthen the Church in Uganda as our brothers and sisters recognize that the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead lives in them (Romans 8:11). Pray for increased wisdom for the authorities to protect Christians in Uganda from further Islamist attacks.
Middle East – Pray for Christians as tensions escalate
At the time of writing, tensions in the Middle East have escalated still further, with missile strikes exchanged between Israel and Iran. More than 600 people have been killed.
The conflict looks set to escalate in the days and weeks ahead, and only the Lord knows what the outcome will be for the Middle East and the wider world.
Christians are a despised minority in many Middle East contexts, and are often persecuted and discriminated against.
Intercede for Christians in Iran, Israel and across the Middle East. Ask that they will be protected from any increase in hostility, and that the Lord will continue to sustain His people both physically and spiritually. Pray that any future instability will not lead to the growth or emergence of terrorist groups, as in the past. Ask for a peaceful resolution to this crisis, for the sake of all people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.
