Dozens Killed In Attack On Mosque, Catholic Church In Burkina Faso: Report

The incidents unfolded on Sunday in distinct regions of the junta-ruled nation, which has grappled with years of relentless jihadist violence.

Colonel Major Kassoum Coulibaly, Minister of State, Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs of Burkina Faso

Source : Getty

New Delhi: Dozens of Muslims were tragically killed in an assault on a mosque in eastern Burkina Faso, occurring on the same day as another deadly attack on Catholics attending mass, as reported by local and security sources to AFP on Monday.

The incidents unfolded on Sunday in distinct regions of the junta-ruled nation, which has grappled with years of relentless jihadist violence.

"Armed individuals attacked a mosque in Natiaboani on Sunday around 5:00 am, resulting in several dozen being killed," a security source told AFP.

A local resident said via telephone that the victims, predominantly men attending morning prayers, were all Muslims.

Another source detailed that the assailants, described as "terrorists," entered the town in the early morning, encircling the mosque and opening fire on the worshippers gathered for their morning prayers. 

"Several of them were shot, including an important religious leader," the source added, reported AFP.

The assailants also targeted soldiers and members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), a civilian group supporting the military. The source described it as a "large-scale attack" in terms of the number of assailants, who also wreaked substantial damage.

Natiaboani, located approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Fada N'Gourma, the principal town in Burkina's eastern region, has witnessed recurrent assaults by armed groups since 2018.

Simultaneously, on the same day as the mosque attack, at least 15 civilians were killed and two others wounded during an assault on a Catholic church in northern Burkina Faso while worshippers gathered for Sunday mass, according to a senior church official, reported AFP.

Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, vicar of the Dori diocese, said in a statement that the "terrorist attack" occurred in the village of Essakane while people were gathered for Sunday prayer.

Essakane village is in what is known as the "three borders" zone in the northeast of the country, near the common borders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

Burkina Faso, governed by a military junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traore since 2022, experienced its second coup in less than a year, prompted in part by discontent over the government's inability to curb jihadist violence.

Burkina Faso is situated in the vast Sahel region, which has been battling escalating violent extremism since Libya's civil war in 2011 and the subsequent Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012. The jihadist insurgency has spilled over into Burkina Faso and Niger since 2015, reported AFP.