AT LEAST 15 people were reported killed in an attack during a church service in Burkina Faso on Feb 25.
Abbot Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, of the local Diocese of Dori, said 12 people were killed in the attack and three others died later in hospital.
Gunmen opened fire on the church in Essakane village in the Northeast of the country during the service. The attackers are believed to be radical Islamic militants.
Sawadogo has asked people to pray for all those affected.
“In this painful circumstance, we invite you to pray for those who died in faith, for the healing of the wounded, and for the consolidation of grieving hearts,” he said.
Open Doors said the north of the country has been blighted by serious violence since the departure of French troops from the country last year.
The organization, which advocates for persecuted Christians worldwide, said at least 800,000 people in Burkina Faso “effectively live under a militant Islamist group siege.”
Burkina Faso is ranked No. 20 on Open Doors’ World Watch List of countries where it’s most dangerous to be a Christian.
