Pastor Killed in Burkina Faso
On May 25 seven people were killed, including a local pastor when jihadists attacked Molokadou village in northern Burkina Faso.
The village came under attack at around 4pm. One local church leader was able to share with Open Doors partners that “The terrorists encircled the village, shooting in the air to create panic. Then, they entered a compound where they killed two people. A third person who was there fled and got to the pastor’s compound. The jihadists followed him to the church leader’s compound… with no response, they went in and shot the young man and pastor dead, in front of his wife.”
Pastor Jonas Yaro (39) served the Apostolic Church in the village for eight years and leaves behind a wife and three children.
Molokadou village is situated about 60km from Bobo Dioulassou, along the Bobo-Dedougou Road.
Besides Pastor Yaro, one other victim has been confirmed as a Christian. The identities of the others are still unclear.
The village came under attack at around 4pm. One local church leader was able to share with Open Doors partners that “The terrorists encircled the village, shooting in the air to create panic. Then, they entered a compound where they killed two people. A third person who was there fled and got to the pastor’s compound. The jihadists followed him to the church leader’s compound… with no response, they went in and shot the young man and pastor dead, in front of his wife.”
Pastor Jonas Yaro (39) served the Apostolic Church in the village for eight years and leaves behind a wife and three children.
Molokadou village is situated about 60km from Bobo Dioulassou, along the Bobo-Dedougou Road.
Besides Pastor Yaro, one other victim has been confirmed as a Christian. The identities of the others are still unclear.
Update on Burkina Faso
The insurgency in Burkina Faso has continued unabated. The insecurity has also led to two coups resulting from the governments’ failure to deal with the insurgency. On May 15, 2023, jihadists attacked the village of Silmidougou, also situated in northern Burkina Faso, and killed three Christians, including Pastor Antoine Kouma Ouedraogo of the Assemblies of God Church in Silmidougou.
The insurgency in Burkina Faso has continued unabated. The insecurity has also led to two coups resulting from the governments’ failure to deal with the insurgency. On May 15, 2023, jihadists attacked the village of Silmidougou, also situated in northern Burkina Faso, and killed three Christians, including Pastor Antoine Kouma Ouedraogo of the Assemblies of God Church in Silmidougou.
Open Doors partners were able to visit Pastor Yaro’s wife to pray for her.
The growing insecurity has emptied many villages in the north and caused mass displacement. According to the National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (CONASUR) in Burkina Faso, the number of Internally Displaced People have surpassed 2 million in the last two months.
What is Open Doors doing?
Open Doors started working in Burkina Faso in 2019 as jihadist violence increased radically. Our vision is to see the Church become increasingly able to respond biblically to persecution by spiritually empowering her members, and caring for the most affected through training, relief efforts, and spiritual and trauma care.
The Open Doors Arise Africa campaign is a call for the global Church to be aware of what is happening in Burkina Faso and other Sahel countries. The aim is “to see that the global community acknowledges and acts against the extreme violence and supports the church to persevere through severe persecution and be resilient, resourceful, and influential”. We’ve started this first year with a focus on Christian youth in the Greater Sahel region (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Cameroon, and neighboring countries) to launch urgent interventions to bring hope through integrated care.
What is Open Doors doing?
Open Doors started working in Burkina Faso in 2019 as jihadist violence increased radically. Our vision is to see the Church become increasingly able to respond biblically to persecution by spiritually empowering her members, and caring for the most affected through training, relief efforts, and spiritual and trauma care.
The Open Doors Arise Africa campaign is a call for the global Church to be aware of what is happening in Burkina Faso and other Sahel countries. The aim is “to see that the global community acknowledges and acts against the extreme violence and supports the church to persevere through severe persecution and be resilient, resourceful, and influential”. We’ve started this first year with a focus on Christian youth in the Greater Sahel region (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Cameroon, and neighboring countries) to launch urgent interventions to bring hope through integrated care.
