Other details remain unknown. No one has claimed responsibility yet for the attack, but it is assumed to be the work of one of the several Islamic extremist groups active in the country—which include ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Pastor Samuel Sawadogo, who cares for displaced Christians in Kaya, Burkina Faso, recently spoke with an Open Doors field team about the brutal attacks against Christians in his country. “We don’t know who the attackers are, neither do we know who is sponsoring them,” he says. “All we know is that they attack Christians. These attacks have shattered the lives of our people. We are troubled and filled with pain over the deaths of our family members.”
“We are deeply shocked at yet another attack, and the fact that children as young as 12 were not spared,” says the Open Doors director in sub-Saharan Africa, JP Pretorius. “The shock and trauma these attacks cause are unimaginable. Our brothers and sisters in Burkina Faso need fervent prayer and urgent support to remain full of hope and unified in the face of increasing hostility. Church leaders in particular need God’s protection and wisdom as they minister to their flock, while facing specific targeting themselves.”