Gunmen attacked a community as they gathered for prayer in the northern village of Essakane, a church official says.
At least 15 Catholic worshipers were killed in a village in Burkina Faso when gunmen attacked a community as they gathered for mass at a church in the conflict-affected northern region of the country, church officials said.
Sunday's violence in the town of Essakane was a “terrorist attack” that left 12 attendees dead at the scene, while three others died later while being treated for their injuries, according to a statement issued by Abbot Jean-Pierre Sawadogo. , vicar. general of the Catholic diocese of Dori, where the attack occurred.
He said two other people were injured in the attack.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting.
“In this painful circumstance, we invite you to pray for the rest in God of those who have died in the 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 release.
The shooting took place in a region where armed groups have carried out several attacks, some of which targeted Christian churches while others involved the kidnapping of clerics.
About half of Burkina Faso is outside government control, as armed groups have ravaged the country for years. Fighters have killed thousands and displaced more than two million people, further threatening the stability of the nation, which experienced two coups in 2022.
The country's military rulers have struggled to restore peace to violent areas since the first coup in January 2022. The number of people killed by armed groups has nearly tripled compared to the previous 18 months, according to an August report. 2023 of the African Center for Strategic Strategies. Studies.
In addition to the limited capacity of the military government, the security situation has been worsened by the country's porous borders with Mali and Niger, both countries also governed by military officials and also struggling with security crises.
