Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Diocèse de Dédougou
Dédougou (Agenzia Fides) - The diocese of Dédougou in Burkina Faso mourns the death of two catechists who were murdered on their way back from a training course. The crime occurred on Saturday, January 25.
As the diocese of Dédougou tells Fides, Mathias Zongo and Christian Tientga were travelling by motorbike with two other catechists. The four pastoral workers of the parish of Ouakara were allegedly attacked by a group of armed men while they were near the town of Bondokuy. The two surviving catechists reportedly managed to escape into the forest. After being alerted, the parish priest found the lifeless bodies of the two murdered people. When the parish priest arrived at the scene, police officers were already on site to begin the investigation.
Meanwhile, the bodies of the two catechists were returned to their families (one was the father of three children, the other of seven) and the funerals took place last weekend.
According to the police, who are continuing the investigation, the events of the end of January are the fourth fatal attack in the same place in a short period of time. There has been an escalation of violence throughout Burkina Faso for some time, also fueled by the presence of various Islamist groups fighting among themselves for control of the territory (see Fides, 17/2/2023 and Fides, 3/9/2024), which has also led to the flight of about two million people. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 17/2/2025)
