Gunmen in Burkina Faso stormed a Catholic church Feb. 25, killing 15 worshippers and leaving two in critical condition, according to a senior church official.
The vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Dori, Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, called it a jihadist terrorist attack. He also asked for prayer for “those who continue to wreak death and desolation in our country.”
“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 a statement.
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“May our efforts of penance and prayer during this blessed season of Lent obtain peace and security for our country, Burkina Faso,” he added.
The attack took place in the Essakane village which borders Mali and Niger.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility.
As CBN News has reported, Islamic militants have continually attacked the area, especially churches.
The recent attacks are the latest in a series of atrocities linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State in the Sahel region, Catholic News Agency reports.
The government has little control as jihadist groups fight to take control over swaths of land since Libya’s civil war in 2011 and an Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012.
Two coups have taken place in the country since 2022 and the number of people killed by Islamic jihadists has nearly tripled compared with the 18 previous months, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in August.
Fighters have killed nearly 20,000 people and displaced more than 2 million people, ABC News reports.{eoa}
To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.
Reprinted with permission from cbn.com. Copyright © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
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