15 Dead in Burkina Faso Church Attack by Islamist Militants

At least 13 residents of Ouagadougou have been killed, and two others sustained injuries following an attack on a Catholic Church in north-eastern Burkina Faso on Sunday.

The attack, which took place during Sunday service in Essakane village in Oudanlan Province, near the border of Mali, has left the community in tremendous loss of lives and agony.

One of the church officials indicated the assailants were suspected Islamist militants armed with sophisticated weapons who walked unscathed because there was no immediate response from the authorities of Ouagadougou.

Following the attack is a statement from the head of the local diocese, Abbot Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, who said 12 people were killed instantly, while three others died at the hospital.

“In this painful circumstance, we invite you to pray for those who died in faith, for the healing of the wounded, and for the consolidation of grieving hearts,” the statement reads

The authorities of Burkina Faso have been battling Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, which have taken over large swathes of land and displaced millions of people in the Sahel region for the last three years.

Meanwhile, Burkina Faso, a country ruled by a military dictatorship, recently pulled out of the regional political and economic bloc, ECOWAS, along with its Sahel neighbours, Mali and Niger, following the lack of support.

The three junta-led countries had already been suspended from the bloc, which had been urging them to return to democratic rule.

Earlier this month, Burkina Faso’s military-backed president Ibrahim Traoré said Russian troops could deploy to fight jihadists in the West African country if needed.

About The Author

Mayowa Durosinmi

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Mayowa Durosinmi is a Nigerian investigative reporter for West Africa Weekly with reports focusing on politics, human rights, security and health in West Africa and the Sahel region.

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