At Least 15 Killed in Attack on Catholic Church in Burkina Faso

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At Least 15 Killed in Attack on Catholic Church in Burkina Faso

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At least 15 people were killed and two others injured in an attack on a Catholic church in north-eastern Burkina Faso on Sunday.

The incident occurred during Sunday worship in Essakane village in Oudalan province,

close to the border with Mali. Few details have been provided, but a church official indicated that the gunmen were suspected Islamist militants.

There has been no immediate response from the authorities in the West African country’s capital, Ouagadougou. A statement by the head of the local diocese 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.

This attack is the latest in a series of atrocities in Burkina Faso attributed to Islamist militants. More than a third of the country 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, which is ruled by a military dictatorship, recently withdrew from the regional political and economic bloc, Ecowas, along with its Sahel neighbors, Mali and Niger. They cited lack of support from Ecowas in the fight against terrorism as one of the reasons for wanting to exit the union. 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.