Fada N’Gourma, 24 April, 2024 / 9:32 pm (ACI Africa).
Catechist Edouard Zoetyenga Yougbare who was kidnapped and murdered in Burkina Faso’s Catholic Diocese of Fada N’Gourma showed “remarkable dedication” in his over two decades of service, a Catholic Priest who interacted with him has told ACI Africa.
In a Tuesday, April 23 interview with ACI Africa, the Burkinabe Catholic Priest, who requested anonymity, recalled the events leading to the abduction and eventual murder of the Catechist, whose lifeless body was discovered on April 19.
“On Thursday, April 18, Yougbare went out in search of his donkey, which had been missing for some two months. On the same day, an attack took place about three kilometers from Kamona, an outlying district of Saatenga center. Two young people from Saatenga, who had gone to (get) water (for) their cattle and sheep, were targeted and their animals taken away,” he recounted.
The Priest continued recounting the events of April 18, “Several other people, including women who had gone into the bush in search of tamarind or wood, or to harvest their millet left in the field, were captured by terrorists; their belongings were confiscated and destroyed.”
He went on to recall that “another Catechist, Jean Marie Yougbare, was briefly detained but released after the assailants recognized him as a benefactor, recalling how he had welcomed them into his home during a storm.”