by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Reports have been filed that, in early October, Islamic jihadists in Burkina Faso slaughtered two Catholic priests in the church sanctuary of a Christian village in Sourou province and then gave the entire village just two hours to abandon their homes and flee for their lives, Global Christian Relief (GCR) reports. .
According to reports received by Global Christian Relief, two young Catholic men from the village of Débé had been traveling to the nearby city of Tougan when they fell foul of travel restrictions imposed by Islamic jihadists who now control the area. The two Christians were ambushed and taken captive by jihadists.
The Christians were murdered two weeks later when the terrorists brought them back to Débé, forced their way inside a Catholic church, and killed them on the altar. The remaining Christians in the village were given 72 hours to leave. “Members of the Catholic Church, Assemblies of God, and other denominations escaped to safety in nearby cities, leaving behind their homes and livelihoods,” GCR reports.
In a statement about terrorism facing Christians in Burkina Faso, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization explains in a website statement: “The expanding influence of jihadist groups in Burkina Faso is having a catastrophic impact on Christians. Believers have been targeted and killed in villages, churches and workplaces, and hundreds of churches have been forced to close, with many having been destroyed. The threat from extremist Islamic groups has even spread to cities that were previously beyond their reach.”
Once known for its diversity and religious tolerance, Burkina Faso now ranks 23rd on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.