According to ACN’s local sources, the police commissioner in Bondokuy said that this was the fourth murder recorded at this location and that there are bandits in the area who want to make the population believe that they are terrorists, in order to carry out armed robberies.
ACN has expressed deep concern about the ongoing extreme violence in the region and has called for prayers for the Ouakara parish community, the families of the victims, and for peace in Burkina Faso, a country that continues to suffer from insecurity and persecution against Christian communities.
The Pontifical foundation has observed that right at the forefront of the war against Islamist attacks in Burkina Faso are Catechists who are ready to give their lives for the safety of Christians in the West African country, where persecution is reported to be highest in the world.
The foundation reports that attacks, mostly against Christians in Burkina Faso, have been on the rise, especially in far flung villages of the country, where government forces are absent. It is Catechists who have come in to fill the gap.
Some sources have also told ACN that Catechists in the country are paying the heaviest price of being a Christian in Burkina Faso.
In a report last year, Fr. Edgard Ouedraogo, the Director of the Centre of Formation of Catechists of Burkina Faso's Catholic Diocese of Kaya said that Catechists in the country were the “heroes of the Church" and that it was they, who were “most exposed” as pastoral agents.
“Among pastoral workers, it is the Catechists who are the most exposed and who are paying the heaviest price in the terrorist war,” Fr. Ouedraogo said, and added, in reference to Catechists serving in Kaya Diocese, “There have been more martyrs among them than among Priests.”
Among reported incidents of attacks against Catechists in Burkina Faso is the killing Catechist Edouard Zoetyenga Yougbare in April 2024.
Catechist Zoetyenga who was kidnapped and murdered in Burkina Faso’s Catholic Diocese of Fada N’Gourma is said to have shown “remarkable dedication” in his over two decades of service.
Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.
