Government officials have confirmed that at least 15 people were killed and 2 others injured in a “terrorist attack” on innocent people at a Catholic Church in Essakane village, the northeastern part of the country.
“We bring to your attention a terrorist attack which the Catholic community of Essakane village was the victim of today, February 25, while they were gathered for Sunday prayer,” the vicar of the Dori diocese, Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, said in a statement sent to AFP.
Calling for peace and security in Burkina Faso, Sawadogo denounced “those who continue to wreak death and desolation in our country”.
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Reports say this is just the latest in a series of atrocities blamed on terrorist groups active in the region, some of which have targeted Christian churches while others have involved the abduction of clergy.
Burkina Faso is part of the vast Sahel region, which has been locked in a battle against rising violent extremism since Libya’s civil war in 2011, followed by an Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012.
The terrorist attacks have spilled over into Burkina Faso and Niger since 2015, AFP news agency reports.