A worsening insurgency in Burkina Faso has led to the death of thousands and forced an estimated 1.4 million people to flee, reports Vatican News.
“The security situation in the country is getting worse every day, armed groups are advancing, there are attacks against the army, and the population is subject to its will,” said Fr. Etienne Tandamba, a priest of the diocese of Fada N’Gourma, in a recent interview with RECOWA-CERAO, the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa.
“Kidnapping and confiscation of property take place every day,” reported the priest. “Some areas are inaccessible. Schools remain closed, as do some chapels, and the state of the city administration is precarious”, he said.
Fr. Tandamba said that “the Church is resilient” and “continues to pray and find ways and means to announce the good news and care for Christian communities.”
“We continue to make great sacrifices to help the poor and needy, especially the internally displaced,” he said, adding that through radio and other forms of communication, the Church seeks to bring about “social cohesion and religious tolerance as well as dialogue.”
A Jihadist uprising has plagued Burkina Faso as well as the rest of Africa’s Sahel region since 2015. At least Fifty-three people were killed by insurgents in an attack on a security post earlier this month. The government’s policies are not assuring any security to its citizens.