Numerous people were killed in attacks on a church and a mosque in Burkina Faso. It is still unclear whether there is a connection. According to the security apparatus, more than 100 jihadists have been “neutralized.”
There were two attacks on believers within one day in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Gunmen have attacked a mosque in the rural eastern town of Natiaboani, according to French-language media. Several dozen people, mostly men, were murdered during morning prayers at five in the morning, according to eyewitnesses.
The attackers are also said to have shot at soldiers and volunteer fighters of the so-called Defense of the Fatherland, local residents reported.
In the north of the country, 15 Catholics were killed in an attack during a prayer session on Sunday. Twelve believers died on site and three others later succumbed to their injuries, said the vicar general of the Dori diocese, Abbé Jean Pierre Sawadogo. Two other people were injured. The attack occurred in the village of Essakane, not far from the borders with Mali and Niger.
More than 100 jihadists “neutralized”
It is still unclear who exactly is responsible for the attacks and whether there is a specific connection. According to the Burkinabe security apparatus, security forces “neutralized” more than 100 jihadists in the attacks.
Burkina Faso has been plagued by jihadist terror for nine years. Around 20,000 people are said to have died and around two million were displaced. A year and a half ago, Captain Ibrahim Traoré took power in a coup. Under him, the Sahel state turned away from France and towards Russia. Traoré also called on his country’s residents to mobilize against terror.
Bishop sees increase in violence
The world church representative of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Bertram Meier, was “shocked” by the attack on Catholics. The Augsburg bishop explained that this crime fits into a pattern of violence that has been repeatedly targeted against Christians in the countries of the Sahel zone and the greater West African region in the recent past. This violence has increased dramatically in recent years.
Meier called for everything to be done to ease tensions in Burkina Faso and the region. “Otherwise, entire countries risk being destroyed by violence and the social fabric destroyed.”
With information from Jean-Marie Magro, ARD Studio Northwest Africa
Jean-Marie Magro, ARD Rabat, tagesschau, February 26, 2024 1:28 p.m