ACN denounces massacres in Burkina Faso 

Islamic terrorists killed 26 people in a church, many of them Christian. 

Local sources have told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about a recent terrorist attack in Burkina Faso. The incident took place in the village of Sanaba, in the Diocese of Nouna, on August 25th, when a large group of insurgents surrounded the community and took all men over the age of 12 who were Christian, followers of traditional religions, or people they considered opponents of Jihadist ideology. The terrorists then led the men to a nearby Protestant church and slit their throats.  

The attack took place only one day after the massacre in the village of Barsalogho, where at least 150 people were killed — although the actual number may be as high as 250, according to local sources, with 150 seriously injured.  

The same sources also reported attacks on three parishes near the border with Mali, also in the Diocese of Nouna, over the past few days. “As a result, about 5,000 women and children have sought refuge in the city of Nouna. There is not a single man among them. The whereabouts of the male population is still uncertain. We don’t know if they escaped, if they are hiding, or if they were murdered,” says a source.  

The Diocese of Nouna has seen other attacks this year, with a large number of Catholic, Protestant, and animist places of worship being ransacked or burned. “In Zekuy, the local catechist realized an attack was taking place when he heard the sound of motorcycles, and he managed to escape into the woods with the Blessed Sacrament and the rest of the population. However, the Church was vandalized, and images were destroyed. They also tried to desecrate the tabernacle, and they painted inscriptions on the wall that had a fresco of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” says a source.  

It is believed that since May 2024, about 100 Christians have been murdered in the Zekuy-Doumbala pastoral region, while others have been kidnapped, with no news of their whereabouts.  

The wave of violence in Burkina Faso is part of an alarming trend that has plunged the country into an increasingly deep crisis since 2015. ACN calls on all benefactors and friends of the foundation to pray for the victims of violence in Burkina Faso and for a return to peace and security. 

 – Sina Hartert and Maria Lozano