The Islamic State terror group (IS) has acknowledged its involvement in the assault on a Catholic church in north-eastern Burkina Faso that occurred on February 25, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least 15 individuals.
The claim was officially made on March 7 through the group’s weekly publication, al-Naba, which provided an overview of recent activities in the Sahel region.
According to IS, militants armed with firearms targeted a church during Sunday service in the village of Essakane, located in Oudalan province near the Mali border.
The group stated, “As the mujahidin entered the church gate, they opened fire on the Christians, killing over 15 of them”.
It is noteworthy that while IS frequently directs its attacks towards Christians and their places of worship in DR Congo and Mozambique, where it has established branches, such incidents in Burkina Faso are relatively uncommon. Typically, IS attacks in Burkina Faso focus on the armed forces.
On the same day as the church assault, an unidentified group attacked a mosque in eastern Burkina Faso, in Natiaboani town, resulting in the reported deaths of numerous individuals.
Although no group claimed responsibility for this attack, al-Qaeda, a rival of IS, asserted activity against the army in the same town on that day.
