Burkina Faso: at least ten dead in attack on Protestant church

At least ten people were killed Sunday in a jihadist attack on a Protestant church in a village in northern Burkina Faso, security sources and residents said on Monday.

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" An armed terrorist group carried out an attack on a church in the village of Pansi while worshipers were celebrating Sunday worship ," a security source told AFP. " The assessment is not yet final but witnesses and survivors report at least ten deaths, " said the source. " The pastor of the church, according to the same source , was kidnapped by the perpetrators of the attack ."

" It is difficult at this very moment to have an idea of ​​the situation because the inhabitants (of the village) fled after the attack, " a resident contacted in Sebba, a neighboring locality where arrived, told AFP. people fleeing Pansi. " Even in Sebba it is still psychosis because Christians and their pastor were killed by terrorists, " added the resident, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Read also: Sahel: Burkina Faso plagued by violence

On February 10, a jihadist group burst into the town of Sebba before kidnapping seven people from a pastor's home. Three days later, five people, including the pastor, were found dead, while the other two, women, were found unharmed, according to the governor of the Sahel region.

Several imams have also been murdered by jihadists in northern Burkina Faso since the attacks began four years ago. These attacks have become increasingly frequent and deadly.

These attacks in this country bordering Mali and Niger, have left around 750 dead and 600,000 displaced since 2015. According to the UN, 4,000 people were killed in 2019 in jihadist attacks in these three countries.

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