Jaag Masihi News World 07-29-2022
Burkina Faso: Increased attacks from Islamic extremists have severely affected one Catholic diocese, Fada N’ Gourma, in Burkina Faso. The attacks have caused closures of several churches in the diocese and have left priests unable to minister to 95% of their parishioners.
According to (International Christian Concern) The diocese of Fada N’Gourma released a report about the increase of robberies, kidnappings and murder in the eastern part of Burkina Faso, where the diocese is located. Five of the 16 churches in the diocese have been attacked by Islamic extremists, leading to the closure of those churches. Seven other churches face ministry hindrances from destruction of telephone communications and the control of land routes by extremists.
The national director of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Dr. Caroline Hull, reported on the situation that the diocese faces. “ACN seeks to meet both the spiritual and material needs of those we support so we will be doing everything we can to help the suffering Christian communities in the diocese of Fada N’Gourma. Across all of Africa – particularly the Sahel region where Burkina Faso is – jihadism is growing and, with that, Christian persecution. Christians are murdered, people are abducted, women are raped and treated terribly.”
Within the Fada N’Gourma region, it has been reported that some Catholic church services are often monitored by the extremists, who make sure that men and women do not sit together in the services.
Please pray for the Fada N’Gourma diocese in Burkina Faso and for peace in the region.
The World Watch List is Open Doors’ annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. Explore the country profiles to find information, stories and prayers for each of the countries, along with ways that you can stand with your persecuted church family in prayer and action. More about the World Watch List.