OPEN DOORS USA | Lindy Lowry | May 14, 2019
Mirroring the April 28 attack in which gunmen executed a pastor and five congregants after a worship service in Burkina Faso, another attack on a different church in the country has also left six Christians dead, including its young priest (above photo). The recent (May 12) attack marks the third on Christians in less than five weeks in the West African country that continues to struggle with a surge of Islamic militant violence.
At about 9 a.m. during a church service in the village of Dablo, armed gunmen on motorcycles, said to number between 20 and 30, ambushed the church. Dablo Mayor Ousmane Zongo told AFP news agency: “They started firing as the congregation tried to flee.”
The attackers then set fire to the church and other area buildings in the village, including a health center.
Those killed include 33-year-old Father Simeon Yampa—described as a “humble, obedient and full of love”—and church elders.
A local journalist told the BBC that residents were angry that soldiers in a nearby base did not respond promptly.
The attack has Dablo residents living in a state of panic and fear, Zongo told the BBC. “People are holed up in their homes, nothing is going on. The shops and stores are closed. It’s practically a ghost town,” he said.