Issued by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media - Jordan. Editor-in-chief Fr. Rif'at Bader - موقع أبونا abouna.org

Published on Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Further attacks against Catholics in Burkina Faso, Niger

Agenzia Fides :

On May 13, four faithful who were bringing the statue of the Virgin back to church after participating in a Marian procession were killed in Singa, in the municipality of Zimtenga (25 km from Kongoussi), in the central northern region of the Country. This is the same region to which the province of Sanmatenga belongs, where on Sunday 12 May, Fr. Siméon Yampa, parish priest of Dablo, was killed along with five faithful in the attack on the church during Sunday Mass.

According to information sent to Fides, the Catholic faithful of the village of Singa, in the municipality of Zimtenga, after having participated in a procession from their village to that of Kayon, located about ten kilometers away, were intercepted by armed men. The terrorists let the minors go, but they executed four adults and destroyed the statue.

On May 13, Mgr. Séraphin François Rouamba, Archbishop of Koupéla and President of the Bishop’s Conference Burkina Faso-Niger, made an appeal for peace and peaceful coexistence during the funeral of the victims of Dablo. The funeral was attended by Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and representatives of traditional religions.

NIGER: ATTACK ON THE PAISH OF DOLBEL

On May 13, unidentified people attacked the parish of Dolbel, belonging to the diocese of Niamey, which is located about 200 km from Niamey, in the Songhay-Zerma area. This is what missionary sources told Agenzia Fides. The parish priest, Fr. Nicaise Avlouké, was wounded in one hand and leg, and is a guest in the military camp. "There have long been ‘rumors’ of possible attacks on the parish and priests in particular. This last fact only confirms the deterioration of the security situation in the border area with Burkina Faso", Fides sources comment.

The defense forces appear little prepared for this new stage of Sahelian terrorism". In Niger there is still no news of Fr. Pier Luigi Maccalli, the SMA missionary abducted in Niger on the night between 17 and 18 September 2018.