Burkina Faso: Terrorists attack “people of integrity”

An attack in the Diocese of Dori on February 25th was just the latest act of violence in Burkina Faso. The Church has responded to the persecution with charity and hope.

When Mgr. Justin Kientega became Bishop of Ouahigouya in Burkina Faso, he was able to travel easily to the country’s border with Mali. But now, parts of his own diocese are off-limits due to the activity of terrorist groups that want to impose radical Islam on the population.

“The terrorists come to the villages by motorcycle. They gather people and tell them not to go to school and not to obey the government. They instruct men to grow out their beards and women to wear the Islamic veil. Sometimes they take one person and kill him in front of everyone,” the bishop said in an online conference organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

In other places, the people are given an ultimatum: to leave their homes and never return. Christians are a minority in this region, and they often face harsher instruction and punishment. “There is no freedom to worship. In some villages, they allow people to pray, but forbid catechism; in other places, they tell Christians not to gather in the church. This leads many to leave. In my diocese, two parishes are closed because the priests had to go, and two others are blockaded. Nobody can come in or get out.”

The February 25th attack was the most recent case. “There were 47 people in the chapel for the Sunday morning Mass. There were 17 men, and the rest were women and children. The terrorists came and killed 12. Nine people were killed at the chapel, and three others died from their injuries. Among the dead were two children, a four-year-old and a 14-year-old.”

Humanitarian disaster

The ongoing persecution has caused a humanitarian disaster, with thousands of people fleeing villages for cities or towns where they can count on the protection of the police and army. “In the towns, Christians are doing their best to help these people. In many parishes, they are welcomed, and they try to find food for them,” says the bishop.

Bishop Kientega says that more than 200 schools have had to close, including 30 Catholic schools, which had been examples of intercommunal harmony, with many Muslim families entrusting their children to the care of the Church-run institutions. Burkina Faso had such a strong reputation for mutual respect among different communities that the name of the country literally means “Land of the Honest People.” All this leads the bishop to ask: who is instrumentalizing these young people and leading them to commit these atrocities?

“We ask ourselves: how did this happen? Who is supporting them? Who is funding them? Some of them are Burkinabe, our brothers, and they don’t even cover their faces. But the question is why. Why are they kidnapping and killing people? Why are they coming to take our goods and animals, and burning villages?”

Bishop Kientega explains that in many cases, unemployed youth are lured into terrorist organizations with the promise of work. But still, the identity of who is bankrolling these groups and providing them with weapons remains a mystery. The bishop is grateful to the civil authorities and armed forces for their support of the population, and for working with the Church to coordinate relief efforts.

“The government is really doing its best. They organize convoys that take food to the blockaded villages, and the army is also helping. The state knows the needs of the displaced, and they give us guidelines, so that people get what they need for a better life, even though the challenges are great.”

“Faith has grown”

But despite the difficulties that Christians face in Burkina Faso, Bishop Kientega says that none of them have caved to the terrorists’ demands to embrace Islam. “Many of them accept the possibility of death. They refuse to remove their crosses, and they refuse to convert. They always find other ways to live their faith and pray.”

The bishop even says that “faith has grown,” as the Church has been forced to adapt.

“This misery is pushing people back to traditional religious practice, like wearing clothes or amulets that supposedly protect them from harm. [But] I traveled to Bourzanga, and the chief there, who practices traditional religion, told me they were happy their local priest stayed through the violence. He is a source of strength for them. He says that the priest values humanity and does not discriminate against anyone.”

This faith and charity in the face of persecution are also evident in the help that the local Church receives. “We know that the Pope is close to us, and we feel the presence of the universal Church. We are partnered with the Diocese of Limoges in France, and they pray for us every day. And we get help from ACN, which brings us what we need. But the main thing is to pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of these terrorists.”

Aid to the Church in Need is funding several projects in Burkina Faso, and a high-level ACN delegation recently visited the country to assess the situation. The Catholic charity has already announced that the Sahel region—which includes Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria—is one of its priorities for 2024.

—Filipe d’Avillez