Burkina Faso: Terrorists Massacre Hundreds of People

The Burkinabe authorities are struggling to count the dead, and various figures are being put forward: Courrier International speaks of “200 to 400 dead”; Le Monde, citing “local security sources” mentions “at least 400 dead”; and cath.ch, quoting Collectif Justice pour Barsalogho (CJB) indicates that “testimonies from families and credible sources indicate at least 400 dead.”

The circumstances of this terrible massacre show the attackers’ total disregard for human life. The local men, on the recommendation of the government, were digging a ditch around the village, to “serve as a trench against the terrorists.” The jihadists arrived and indiscriminately machine-gunned soldiers and civilians, including women and children.

The victims included Catholics, the number of whom is no more known than that of the other victims. For Bishop Théophile Naré, of the diocese of Kaya: “the people are devastated by such a tragedy. What sentiment can we feel? If not dejection and discouragement… And everyone is asking ‘why’?”

“If you follow the news, you know that this is not the first time that a tragedy has occurred. As far as I know, there has not been a tragedy of this magnitude since the terrorist attacks began and have been raging in our country. It is truly terrible.”

The bishop “called for a day of mourning on Wednesday, August 28, in tribute to the victims of the attack.” While the exact death toll has not yet been released, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), linked to al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A Country Under the Control of Armed Groups

DW [Deutsche Welle] recalls that “Interim President Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power in a coup in September 2022, promised to make the fight against terrorism a top priority.” But it is clear that he has largely failed: “two years later, nearly half of Burkina Faso is outside of government control.”

DW echoes the NGO Acled, which has recorded no fewer than 3,800 deaths of civilians and soldiers killed in jihadist attacks since the beginning of 2024.

DW also quotes Wassim Nasr, a researcher on armed groups in the Sahel: “one of the most important factors,” he explains, “is the lack of territorial control, which means that the army and its auxiliaries operate in zones or remain at their bases, but do not control a large part of Burkinabe territory. The second factor is the lack of air control.” This glaring poverty falls on the victims, many of whom are Christians, a favorite target of the jihadists. They still have the weapon of prayer. Bishop Naré, according to cath.ch, declared a triduum of prayer from August 29 to 31, “with Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and community rosary,” to “implore the grace of the conversion of hearts and the reparation of all the innocent blood shed like water on the earth by men” (cf. Ps 78:3).