In Benin, local politicians are often strongly influenced by voodoo priests. In one part of the country, voodoo practitioners have convinced police to arrest four pastors because of songs they heard Christians singing during worship services. The complaints about the Christians’ songs have interrupted the services and activities of roughly a dozen churches in that area. One pastor spent a week in jail because of a persecutor’s sway over local officials. That pastor has found a Christian lawyer to defend him in court, but he expects a long and costly legal battle.

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While meeting for prayer on June 28, 2023, Poonam Bind, her parents and another sister in Christ were arrested on charges of converting Hindus. They spent the next two months in jail. Poonam and the other Christian women with her used the time to minister to the other 150 female inmates in the jail and led many of the women to place their faith in Christ. “I realized God had a wonderful plan for those people to be saved, and so I was there,” Poonam said. “I saw how people were treated and troubled and how badly they needed Jesus in their lives.” She continues to disciple many of the women who came to Christ in the jail. This is the third time Poonam has been arrested for her Christian witness, but she accepts her circumstances joyfully: “I want to resume my ministry, as my fear of going to jail has gone away since I landed in the jail and saw miracles happening through me there.”

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Christians in Tunisia are finding it harder to gather and worship the Lord together. Front-line workers say the Tunisian government has banned Christians from meeting in hotels or other public gathering places without official pre-approval. “Only foreigners and officially registered NGOs [non-governmental organizations] are allowed to meet in those facilities,” said a front-line worker. The worker added that one church leader has been harassed and “can no longer lead weekly services on Wednesdays and Saturdays.” Since the Arab Spring uprising, which began in Tunisia, the country has grown increasingly democratic; the Tunisian government became the first in North Africa to enact religious freedom reforms. The current government, however, seems to be reversing many of those policies.

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