Source: www.persecution.org
Date: February 18, 2020
Burkina Faso (International Christian Concern) – On Sunday, gunmen believed to be a part of an Islamic Terror group attacked a Church in Northern Burkina Faso. During the attack, the militants killed at least 24 people including the pastor of the church. Eighteen other members of the church were also hurt during the attack.
A group of “armed terrorists” burst into the village of Pansi, in Yagha province “and attacked the peaceful local population after having identified them and separated them from non-residents”, Colonel Salfo Kabore, the regional Governor of the area, said in a statement sent to AFP. According to ABC News, the gunmen also abducted 3 young people and forced them to help steal supplies from local shops. The current location of these three is still unkown.
This attack also came when militants killed a pastor, his family and a deacon from his church who had previously abducted.
Though Christians are not the only people killed in the Muslim Majority country, it is often Christians who are specifically targeted. The country has suffered from rising attacks over the past two years as Islamic Militant groups flow south from Mali. According to the United Nations envoy for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, 4,000 people were killed by Islamic extremist attacks in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali in 2019. Burkina Faso has the fastest growing humanitarian Crisis in Africa, with over 530,000 people being displaced in the past year alone.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for peace and comfort for those mourning loved ones. Pray for healing for those injured during this attack. Pray for a quick and safe return for those who were abducted.