Burkina Faso: “As a pastor, my heart bleeds”

In only a decade, Burkina Faso has become an epicenter of terrorist violence, with over 40 percent of the country’s land outside of government control. And in this situation, the Catholic Church provides material and spiritual support. Two Burkinabe priests from a diocese hard hit by extremists shared their experiences with ACN.  

“The situation is dire,” said Father Bertin Namboho and Father Jean-Pierre Keita, the bursar of the Diocese of Nouna and parish priest of the village of Tansila, respectively. Both priests attended a recent press conference organized by the international Catholic charity  Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).  

“We live in constant terror, and everyone knows somebody who has been kidnapped or murdered. The terrorists in Burkina Faso are as dangerous as Boko Haram was in Nigeria. When you leave in the morning, you can’t be sure you will be alive by evening,” said Father Bertin, who explained that he has been stopped three times by terrorists on the road and that one of his uncles was murdered last year.  

At the end of 2022, when Father Jean-Pierre was appointed parish priest in Tansila, a parish particularly affected by terrorist violence, people warned him that he was putting himself in danger. “But my biggest concern at the time was not the danger I was in, but how I was going to be able to carry out my pastoral mission properly,” he said.   

At the end of May in 2023, just one month after the murder of his brother, he was abducted by terrorists. “When they took me into the forest, they searched my bag and found priestly objects such as an alb, a stole, and sacred vessels. I didn’t lie about being a priest. Despite the threat, I explained to them the meaning of each of these objects. They released me after a few hours.” 

In the past five months, a total of eight attacks have taken place near Father Jean-Pierre’s parish. Recently, on April 15th, terrorists ordered the community of Tansila to leave the town by 7 P.M. They didn’t have time to collect their things, and their possessions were looted, including the presbytery, church, altar, tabernacle, and all religious symbols. Even the parish’s equipment and financial assets were looted, and its premises ransacked. 

“I have one memory that will never fade: the terrorists broke into the clinic and removed the patients’ IV tubes, including from a baby who I was about to baptize. They removed his tubes, and he died. As a pastor of souls, going through a situation like this just makes your heart bleed,” the priest said.  

Two days after the attack, the army secured the area, and the population was asked to return. “When I saw the damage and the Church destroyed, I burst into tears,” said Father Jean-Pierre. “I understood the suffering of the people of Israel when the Temple was destroyed. You get the feeling of having lost your religious identity, your dignity. And in the midst of this, we ask ourselves: where is our God?” 

Since the attack, soldiers have remained in Tansila to protect the people who returned, but that has not stopped the terrorists from attacking other communities in Father Jean-Pierre’s parish. “As the pastor of a parish that has suffered such a terrible attack, when I speak to these Christians, I act strong, to encourage them, but when I am alone, I cry. It is very difficult.” Before the April 15th attack, on Christmas Eve in 2023, the residents of six villages in the parish were forced out of their homes. “That was a very dark Christmas. They did the usual: they looted everything, and what they didn’t need, they burned, to starve the people.”  

During the press conference, Father Bertin said that Nouna has been under blockade since 2022; they have no electricity, and no supplies besides those permitted by military convoys. As the bursar of the diocese, he had to leave town occasionally to visit the bank in Dedougou, and several times he was intercepted by the extremists. “Getting pulled over by five or six terrorists with guns is frightening. They asked me several questions, and what my job was. You can never tell what they will do if they discover you are a priest, but I could not lie.” 

The priest said that on December 25th, the city of Nouna and three local parishes were attacked. “The civilian population always suffers with terrorist attacks. But when they vandalize churches and parish houses, and they don’t let you ring the bells for Mass, you have to ask yourself what the motivation behind their actions is.”  

The schools around Nouna have been closed for over two years, and Father Jean-Pierre is pessimistic about school beginning this year in Tansila. “Following the destruction of the schools, it seems to me very difficult to organize a new school year with adequate conditions.” Furthermore, Father Bertin explained that many children cannot afford to pay for the few schools that are still open, due to the poverty and hunger caused by the terrorism.  

Even though the future looks bleak – both priests say that the number of terrorists is not decreasing – the Burkinabe remain very close to God, and vocations are flourishing. “Even though it is dangerous to gather to pray, people continue to meet and live their faith. We had two new priests ordained in the diocese in July,” Father Bertin said. Father Jean-Pierre agreed: “We have hope, because amidst all the attacks, people have kept their faith. We believe in a better future, in a world at peace. We believe in the Prince of Peace.”   

And he adds, “We are grateful to all the people who have been moved by this desperate situation, and who are helping us however they can. Thank you, ACN, because you do not only help us with material goods, but also with prayer. It is very important to know that we are not alone. We appeal to all people of goodwill who are working for peace: [do not] become accomplices in the worsening terrorism in Burkina Faso. We are all brothers on this earth! Every day, we pray for the victims, for the conversion of our own hearts, and for the conversion of our attackers.”