HAROJI WADO, Ethiopia - A 15-year-old girl near Ethiopia’s border with Sudan has been living under death threats from her own family and community since converting from Islam to Christianity last year, according to a report from International Christian Concern.

Indii Mikaa’el, born into a Muslim family in Haroji Wado, decided to follow Jesus in June 2025. The response from her relatives was immediate and violent. “When my family found out that I had decided to follow Jesus, everything turned against me; they became very hostile,” Mikaa’el told ICC. “They said I had brought shame to the family; others told me I had betrayed my family and my community. They warned me that I would be killed if I did not go back to Islam.”

The threats escalated beyond words. Armed men were reportedly placed near her home in Dambi Dollo with plans to kill her, ICC reported. Mikaa’el was forced to leave school in September 2025 while still in fifth grade. “I loved going to school, and I wanted to continue learning and have a better future,” she said. “But the threats became serious, and I had to stop studying.”

Although Christians worship freely and openly across much of Ethiopia, Christian converts from Islam in Muslim-majority areas face a starkly different reality, often encountering violence and death threats from families and communities that treat conversion as betrayal. Mikaa’el’s case illustrates the pattern documented repeatedly by ICC and other monitoring groups in eastern and border regions of the country.

“I live in fear every day,” Mikaa’el said. “I cannot sleep peacefully because of thinking about whether someone will attack me. Sometimes I feel trapped because there is nowhere safe for me to stay.”

Despite losing her education, her home, and her family’s support, Mikaa’el has refused to renounce her faith. “I know following Christ has brought suffering into my life, but I cannot turn back,” she said. “Jesus has given me hope even when I feel alone. I pray every day that God will protect me. I never thought my family would hate me because of my faith. Sometimes I cry and feel alone, especially after losing my family’s support. But I still believe God is with me even in this suffering.”

ICC has called for support through its Where Most Needed Fund and continues to monitor Mikaa’el’s situation in Dambi Dollo.