Originally published in Persecution International Christian Concern
A large scale assault took place just three days ago in Northern Burkina Faso near the town of Koutougou. The president of Burkina Faso, Roch Kabore, said in a statement that: “August 19th is a dark stain on the life of our national army. It is a heavy toll, which … saddens us.”
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This is the biggest attack on any military installation in Burkina Faso in recent history. It is also a scary sign that extremism and terrorism is growing rapidly in the small West African country.
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Burkina Faso has had issues for the last four years with terrorism that has likely migrated south from Mali. There have been many small attacks, including 18 people killed in an attack on a restaurant in 2017, that killed 18 people. This attack however shows that the terrorists feel they have ability and strength to attack military targets and bases. This could be a very bad sign for the people of Burkina Faso, especially the Christians.
This year also marked a change in the terror groups tactics. They have started targeting Christians. In four attacks between April and July, nearly 20 Christians were executed by terrorists. In several of the attacks, these men held up groups of people and found out which were the Christians. They then brought them behind the nearby churches and killed them.
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If these groups also now have the ability to attack military bases, it could also mean larger attacks on Christian populations.
