Once again, armed men attacked a church in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Six people died. Among the dead in the Catholic community of Dablo is also the priest, who celebrated Mass at the time of the attack on Sunday morning, said Mayor Ousmane Zongo AFP news agency. Security forces reported the number of attackers at 20 to 30.
It was the second attack on a church in Burkina Faso, where Islamist groups have increasingly committed deadly attacks since 2015. Shortly before German Chancellor Angela Merkel's (CDU) visit to the country in late April, Islamists attacked a Protestant church in the north and killed five people.
According to the mayor of the municipality in the northern province of Sanmatenga, the attack took place around 9:00 am (local time). The attackers shot at the fleeing believers and then set fire to the church, adjacent shops and a restaurant. As a result, they invaded a health center and destroyed it as well.
The security forces were informed according to own data against 10 o'clock. They therefore sent additional forces from the approximately 45 kilometers away Barsalogho to Dablo. Currently running the search for the attackers.
Mayor: "The city is practically dead"
"There is a climate of fear in the city," said Mayor Zongo. The people had retreated to their homes, public life had come to a standstill. "The city is practically dead."
The renewed attack took place two days after four hostages were freed by French special forces in northern Burkina Faso.
The West African state has been the target of Islamist attacks for four years. Initially, the attacks focused on the north of the country. Meanwhile, they are increasingly targeting the capital and the East. Since 2015, almost 400 people have died in attacks. Attacks were targeted not only at Christian churches or priests, but also at Muslim clerics. The security forces of the state are unable to stop the violence.