On Oct. 6, terrorists conducted two mass murders at churches in Burkina Faso, considered the most dangerous nation in the West Africa region. The two dioceses attacked are located within hours of each other. 

In the Nouna Diocese, three teenagers were travelling from Mali to begin the school year. Terrorists stopped the bus, pulled the teenagers out, and shot them in the Dijibasso parish. Hours later, shots were fired at vehicles traveling from Nouna to Dédougou, killing 15 people. 

The previous day in the Fada N’Gourma Diocese, a catechist was kidnapped during Sunday Mass. 

“He was specifically targeted,” a local source dicho Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “The goal is to spread fear among the Christians. Sometimes the Christians are permitted to pray, but just as quickly they can be subjected to abuse, to make them flee.” 

Several days before this incident, another catechist from the same diocese was ambushed and killed while returning from a pastoral meeting in Diabo. 

Burkina Faso has seen rising terrorist threats since 2015, when Jihadist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group took over the Sahel region. Extremists are attacking church workers to drive them from their homes. 

According to the Global Terrorism Index, Burkina Faso is the world’s top country for terrorism. Open Doors World Watch List ranked Burkina Faso as the 20th worst country for Christians to live in. 

The extremist groups have now taken more than half of the country. More than 20,000 people have been killed, 2 million have been displaced, and many parishes have closed. 

One source told ACN that fear is “strongly taking hold of the civilian population.” 

The terrorists are travelling in smaller groups, making the roads dangerous and unpredictable. While they have been targeting Christian communities, Christians refuse to leave the country. 

“Many have decided to run the risk of remaining,” one source said.  

The state of the nation continues to deteriorate with the rising violence, displacing millions and forcing church leaders to flee. Believers who remain in the country maintain their faith in the Lord to protect them. 

“I do believe that we are displaced, but Jesus is not and will never be displaced from our lives,” a displaced believer dicho Open Doors. “He is always with us. This truth strengthens my faith and helps me in this difficult time, and I’m glad with God.” 

Este artículo apareció originalmente en persecution.org y ha sido reimpreso con permiso.

Bella Agnello is a contributor to persecution.org, a website of nonprofit group International Christian Concern.