Christians in west Africa were the victims of a new wave of suspected Islamist attacks in the weeks after Easter.
Suspected Fulani militants carried out a three-day massacre in the Diocese Pankshin in Nigeria’s Middle Belt on 12-14 April, killing at least 29 Christians and burning down churches and houses.
Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Fr Andrew Dewan, the diocese’s director of communications, said the attacks were “designed to drive away the owners of the land, so the Muslim extremists can take over”. He added that the attacks have “religious and ethnic components, all mixed up together”.
Fulani militia had attacked villages in the area on Christmas Eve, killing around 200 and driving up to 20,000 from their homes.
“Most of the things said in the immediate aftermath of the Christmas Eve attacks are yet to be implemented,” said Fr Dewan. “The promises the government made amount to nothing but hot air,” he said, while “the diocese is overwhelmed – we’re dealing with widows, payments for children’s school fees, accommodation.”
Some reports alleged official collusion in the attacks. This week government soldiers shot at students of Plateau State University who were protesting after the death of one of their fellow students in the massacre and the lack of military protection in Christian-majority areas.
In eastern Burkina Faso, suspected terrorists kidnapped and murdered a catechist in Fada N’gourma on 18 April. ACN reported that the body of Edouard Yougbare was found the next day in Saatenga parish.
John Pontifex, spokesman for ACN UK, said: “Edouard gave his life on the front line of persecution. He is a martyr who gave his life for God and in service of his community.”
He added: “At a time when Burkina Faso has become one of the world’s worst hotspots of persecution, where nobody can feel truly safe, we at Aid to the Church in Need stand in solidarity with all those suffering.”
Another catechist was killed in Burkina Faso’s Diocese of Dori two months ago while leading a Sunday morning celebration in a chapel.
Jihadi groups now control around 40 per cent of the country’s territory, while more than two million people have been displaced by the conflict.
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