Suspected gunmen from a militant Islamic group have reportedly shot
and killed at least 15 people and injured two others following an
attack on a Catholic church in north-eastern Burkina Faso on Sunday.
A church official indicated that the gunmen were suspected Islamist
militants, adding that the dastardly act took place during Sunday
worship in Essakane village in Oudalan province – close to the border
with Mali. Few details have been given.
There was no immediate response from the authorities in the West
African country’s capital, Ouagadougou.
A statement by the head of the local diocese, Abbot Jean-Pierre
Sawadogo, 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.
It is the latest attack in the beleaguered country that is facing
massive onslaught by Islamist militants even as more than a third of
Burkina Faso is currently under the control of insurgents.
The authorities 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.
In the last three years, churches have been targeted and scores of
worshippers killed.
Burkina Faso is under a military dictatorship, which recently
announced alongside Mali and Niger its decision to pull out of the
Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS).
They cited lack of support from the regional bloc in the fight against
terrorism as one of the reasons for their intention to quit the
organization.
