Burkina Faso (MNN) — Attackers killed about 50 people in rural eastern Burkina Faso on May 27. The violence came as a group of people traveled near the border with nearby Togo and Benin.

It’s not clear who committed the attack, but Islamist violence continually plagues the region. Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have especially made inroads into Burkina Faso. Over the last decade, attacks have killed thousands each year. The violence has begun to spread to Togo and Benin as well.

In January, military officials in Burkina Faso kidnapped the president and dissolved the government. They claimed it was necessary to stop Islamist violence. So far, that has not happened.

Christian World Outreach

Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach says some attacks target Christians, while others target certain villages. “It’s restricted our travel for the mobile clinic going to some of the villages. It’s not safe for them to travel with the medical teams, and the evangelistic team that goes.”

Yoder says the rampant violence has also affected young girls at CWO’s Village of Opportunity boarding school.  “We have about 13 that are going to be staying over the summer at the school because it’s not safe for them to go home where their families have been displaced.”

In Burkina Faso, which has traditionally been a patriarchal society, boys receive most of the education resources. Girls find themselves left behind. The Village of Opportunity teaches skills they can use for work and also tells them about their equality with men in God’s eyes.

How to pray

Yoder says, “Pray for our staff and their safety. Teachers even travel from Ouagadougou the capital out to where our school is. So there’s even a safety issue there. But God has been good and protected our staff.”

Ask God to change hearts and stop the violence in Burkina Faso.

The header photo shows a protest in support of the Burkina Faso coup earlier this year. (Photo courtesy of VOA news, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)