Fourteen Killed in Burkina Faso Church Attack
Two cars burn in the streets of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, following an attack on October 30, 2014. (Wikimedia Commons)
At least 14 people died after a gunman attacked a church in Burkina Faso on December 1, according to the Burkinabe government. The attack took place in the Hantoukoura village of eastern Burkina Faso, in the Est region near the Niger border. This area has had suspected jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and the Islamic State operating within it over the past year.
President Roch Kabore of Burkina Faso condemned the attack and offered condolences to the victims in a tweet, “I condemn the barbaric attack against the Protestant Church of Hantoukoura in the department of Foutouri, which left 14 dead and several wounded. I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded. RK.”
The government also released a statement saying that Burkinabe armed forces were in the process of caring for the wounded and searching the area. The identity of the gunman remains unknown and the government has yet to release further details about the attack.
Burkina Faso has long prided itself on its religious tolerance. The attack, carried out during worship hours, adds to a recent trend of increasing religious violence in the country. Several Christian groups in the country have released statements regarding the attack, such as SIM Burkina Faso (SIMBF), the Burkinabe affiliate of the international Christian organization, SIM International. The director of SIMBF, Matthew Walsh, said, “Prior to the attack, the churches in the region were not overly fearful, but due to increasing violence in the country and previous attacks targeting Christians, everyone was sensitive to the possibility.”
This attack also demonstrates the general increase in violence that has bedeviled Burkina Faso over the past year, as an Islamist insurgency resparked ethnic and religious tensions in the country. While the country was once known for its peaceful conditions compared to other countries in the region, it has since become a hotbed for violence over the past year as hundreds have died and nearly a million forced from their homes due to country-wide conflicts, according to UN estimates.
According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, attacks such as the church shooting in Hantoukoura have quadrupled over the last two years in Burkina Faso. The Burkinabe armed forces have taken security measures across the country, but progress is slow and conditions continue to be unstable and dangerous.