At least 15 Catholic worshippers were killed in a Burkina Faso village on Sunday when armed men attacked Catholics gathered at a small village to celebrate the Second Sunday of Lent.
According to the Associated Press, Abbot Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, vicar-general of the Catholic Diocese of Dori, said that the incident at the village of Essakane “was a ‘terrorist attack” that left 12 of the Catholic faithful dead at the scene, while three others died later as they were being treated for their wounds.”
“In this painful circumstance, we invite you to pray for the rest in God for those who have died in faith, for the healing of the wounded and … for the conversion of those who continue to sow death and desolation in our country,” Sawadogo said in the statement.
The former French colony is a landlocked country in West Africa that gained independence in 1960. According to the 2019 census, 64% of its population is Muslim, while Catholics are the largest minority, at around 20%. The Catholic Church is organized in 15 dioceses.
Also according to the AP report, the country’s military junta has struggled to restore peace in violent hot spots since the first coup in January 2022. The number of people killed by jihadis has nearly tripled compared with the 18 previous months, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in August.
According to the Italian Agency Agenzia Nova, “since 2015, Burkina Faso has been the scene of regular attacks by jihadist groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, active in several regions and causing considerable instability.”
