Burkina Faso

Despite repeated and ongoing attacks on churches from radical Islamist groups, evangelists continue spreading the gospel throughout the country, most recently through solar-powered projectors. VOM front-line workers delivered the projectors to show the JESUS film and other Christian resources and provided training for 16 outreach workers to operate the projectors. “All were very happy to receive these projectors,” said a front-line worker.

As Islamists in Burkina Faso attack Christians and force hundreds of churches to close, ministry leaders and their families feel confusion and doubt, especially the women. Over 2 million Burkinabe have been displaced, and VOM provides emotional and spiritual support to ministry leaders among them, who sometimes struggle emotionally. “Many women expressed feelings of idleness, as they are no longer able to teach other women or engage in ministry,” said a front-line worker. “Their identity, closely tied to their roles in the church, has been deeply affected.”

Islamist militias attacked three different villages in eastern Burkina Faso on and shortly after July 19, 2025. “Eleven Christians have been killed, and others have been taken hostage or are missing,” said a front-line worker. He added that many Christians in the area have fled their homes, and one pastor was evacuated to another city to receive medical care after suffering a serious injury. The incidents occurred near the Mali border, where numerous jihadi groups are based. “Please pray for the church in Burkina Faso as they continue to face attacks on nearly a weekly basis,” said the front-line worker.

Six Christians, including a pastor, were killed in an Islamist attack. On May 23, 2025, shortly after noon, a large group of Islamists riding on motorbikes invaded a village and began searching for the local pastor. They rode to his house while he was meeting in his courtyard with several other Christians. Hearing the roar of the motorbikes, the Christians fled on foot. The Islamists chased them and captured six, including the pastor, and shot them to death.

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, armed Islamic terrorists attacked a church outside of Fada N’Gourma in eastern Burkina Faso, killing two members. As church members were inside holding a prayer meeting, the terrorists entered the building and killed two men, allowing women and children to flee. The attackers entered the pastor’s nearby home and ransacked it, then burned four motorcycles, several motorbikes and two carts vital for local transportation. One of the murdered men was a church elder named Amadou Thiombiano, who is survived by his wife and three children. The second person killed was 18-year-old Jeremi Thiombian.

According to Burkinabe church leaders from two denominations, attacks on Christians by Islamist insurgents are rapidly increasing. Leaders from one denomination say that from January 2024 until the beginning of 2025, 10 pastors were murdered, 220 displaced, 7 abducted, 179 churches closed, 22 churches burned or destroyed, and 177 Christians murdered. Nearly 31,000 of the denomination’s church members have been displaced. Another denomination reports that 797 pastors (70%) have been displaced, 7 killed, and 97 churches burned or destroyed with 946 churches closed and 115 Christians killed.

On Saturday, March 8, eight young Christians were baptized. The ceremony took place in a village in the southwestern part of the country where Muslim terrorists from neighboring Mali sometimes attack and kill followers of Christ. “These baptisms are different than most I have attended as they are quite solemn,” said a front-line worker. “Once these individuals are baptized, they are targeted and are likely to be beaten or even killed for their faith in Jesus Christ.”

In recent years, militant Fulani Muslims have attacked and killed numbers of Christians, but some have also become followers of Christ. Fulani converts are often rejected by their families and struggle to find supportive communities. A ministry in Burkina Faso is helping Fulani Christian converts by providing a safe place where they can grow in their walk with the Lord and meet other Fulani followers of Christ. In a four-month period, the center hosted Saturday vacation Bible schools which 675 children attended.

Alimata’s husband, Yacouba, was the assistant pastor at a church in Kounla. On August 25, 2024, Islamic terrorists came to their house looking for Christian men. They forced Yacouba and another man, bound and blindfolded, into the church at gunpoint. As militants hunted more Christians, Alimata and other women fled with their children. As they ran, they heard gunshots. “I knew that they had killed my husband,” Alimata said. While hiding, a woman named Fadima also heard the gunshots that killed her husband and 27 more men inside the church. “Please pray for me as I am in trauma,” she said.

On August 25, 2024, Islamic extremists killed 28 Christians and injured several others after opening fire on a Sunday night church service. Some who fled the attack are still missing. Later in the same week, extremists attacked an area outside the town of Kaya and killed at least 400 people. Then, during the last week of September, Islamists attacked a church located near the border of Burkina Faso and Niger.