This archive report was first published on 2 December 2019.
On December 1, 2019, a devastating attack on a church in eastern Burkina Faso left at least 14 people dead.
The attack occurred in the village of Hantoukoura, near the border with Niger in the Est region, an area known for banditry and targeted by suspected jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
According to the government, Burkinabe armed forces were caring for the wounded and searching the area, but the identity of the gunmen remained unclear.
The attack comes as an Islamist insurgency has ignited ethnic and religious tensions in Burkina Faso, rendering large parts of the country ungovernable, especially in northern areas bordering restive Mali.
Just a week prior, on November 6, gunmen opened fire on a convoy of buses carrying mine workers in the Est region, killing 39.
