Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is the current President of Djibouti. He has been in office since 1999. The current Prime Minister is Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, since 2013. The Republic of Djibouti lies between Eritrea and Somalia, bordering the Gulf of Aden. Djibouti gained independence in 1977 and functioned as an authoritarian one-party state until the president stepped aside in 1999 and balanced the nation’s two main ethnic groups, the Issa of Somali origin and the Afar of Ethiopian origin. Djibouti is predominantly a Muslim nation. Ninety-seven percent of the population is Muslim, and those who leave the faith are often beaten, ostracized, and killed. Serious social and economic problems continue to plague Djiboutians, notably widespread famine, extreme unemployment, and the rising urban issues of human trafficking, prostitution, and drug abuse. The French Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches represent the only active Christian witness recognized by the government.

The world’s most populous country, China is also the world’s second-largest land area.  With a focus on nationalism, the Communist government tries to maintain social order by prohibiting large meetings and some social media sites. Mission organizations say that the church is the largest social force in China not controlled by the Communist Party. Authorities have continued their harshest crackdown on Christianity since the Cultural Revolution. Many expatriate Christian workers have had to leave as a result. Even the Bible is being “rewritten” to better reflect the government’s communist worldview.