CHRISTIANS and Muslims were among the 24 people killed in an extremist attack on a church in Burkina Faso, on Sunday. A further 18 people were wounded.

A group of 20 people described as armed terrorists entered the village of Pansy, in Yagha province, separated residents and non-residents, looted oil and rice from shops, and forced the three young people whom they had captured to transport the stolen goods away on motorbikes.

Worshippers attending the Sunday service at a Protestant church in the village were then attacked. The regional governor, Colonel Salfo Kabore, told the AFP news agency: “The provisional toll is 24 killed, including the pastor.” Many villagers fled to neighbouring towns.

Religious persecution is rife in the once-peaceful West African nation. It is the frontline of a jihadist insurgency. More than 1300 civilians were killed in targeted attacks last year in Burkina Faso — seven times higher than in 2018.

Christians have become frequent targets in the north of the country. In December, 14 churchgoers were shot dead by extremists during the Sunday service at a Protestant church in Hantoukoura, in the east of the country (News, 6 December 2019).

Since 2015, about 700,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, encouraged WCC member churches to pray for the people affected, and called for ecumenical solidarity in the face of terror and violence.

“I am profoundly sad that people who are gathered to worship suffer from such a senseless act of hate. These . . . are attacks on our one human family, and we must continue to work together for justice and peace.”