On August 24th, the town of Barsalogho in Burkina Faso was the target of a terrorist attack that killed more than 150 people, including 22 Christians, according to local sources in contact with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). This was the third attack this month and one of the bloodiest in the history of the country, which has suffered from Islamist terrorism since 2015.
According to different media reports, residents of Barsalogho were digging defensive trenches to protect themselves from terrorist attacks, when more than 100 jihadists appeared on motorcycles and opened fire with automatic weapons on civilians and soldiers alike. Among the victims are said to be women, children, and elderly people.
Local sources told ACN that the number of dead was so high that it was not possible to bury all the victims in the past three days.
Bishop Théophile Nare of the Diocese of Kaya, which is approximately 19 miles from Barsalogho, described the incident as “a tragedy of unprecedented proportions.” In a message to the faithful the day after the attack, he expressed his sympathy to the victims’ relatives and called for a day of mourning on Wednesday, August 28th.
In a statement sent to ACN, the bishop also called for three days of intensive prayer to “make reparation for all attacks on human life.”
This latest massacre raises serious questions about security in the country. The attack is said to have lasted for hours and was the third in just a month in Burkina Faso. Previously, two terrorist attacks were carried out in the Province of Nayala in the Boucle du Mouhoun region. On August 4th, armed men reportedly entered the village of Nimina and abducted over 100 men between the ages of 16 and 60, whose current whereabouts are unknown. On August 20th, local sources told ACN of attacks in the villages of Mogwentenga and Gnipiru, after which part of the population fled.
This latest wave of violence is part of a tragic series of attacks, which, since 2015, have plunged Burkina Faso into a deep crisis. Due to the increasing brutality and frequency of the attacks, the country is in a persistent state of insecurity and fear.
ACN calls for prayers for the victims of violence in Burkina Faso. Over the past year, the charity has carried out 76 projects in the country, to provide assistance to those affected and to help the local Church in these difficult times.
