Burkina Faso: Catholic nun freed but violence continues

Islamic oppression Burkina Faso | 08 September 2022

83 year old US Catholic nun Suellen Tennyson has been freed after being kidnapped on 5 April 2022 in a convent in Yalgo in northern Burkina Faso. Meanwhile, 35 civilians – mainly traders and students – were killed on 5 September by a bomb that hit a convoy of vehicles in northern Burkina Faso.

According to Vatican News reporting on 1 September 2022, 83 year old US Catholic nun Suellen Tennyson has been freed after being kidnapped on 5 April 2022 by a group of armed men at a convent in Yalgo in northern Burkina Faso where she had been serving as a missionary.

World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: “The identity of the kidnappers is unknown, however, several militant groups allied to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group (IS) operate in the Sahel region and are known to carry out attacks and kidnappings. While the release of the nun is a positive development, Burkina Faso continues to experience rising levels of violence; radical Islamic groups are creating a hostile environment in which freedom of religion is being suppressed. Despite joint-efforts by national and regional security operatives, the violence has intensified over the last seven years, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians annually and widespread displacement of people in the Sahel region.”

Yonas Dembele continues: “In January 2022, President Kabore was ousted in a coup and the new government of Burkina Faso, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, vowed to improve security. However the levels of violence have remained high and militant groups continue to control large swathes of territory. There are currently talks in progress between the government and jihadist groups as part of a national dialogue (Star, 5 September 2022). According to Lt.-Col. Damiba, the talks have led to relative calm in areas that previously witnessed regular attacks, and locals have started returning to their homes. As if to contradict such claims, 35 civilians – mainly traders and students – were killed on 5 September by a bomb that hit a convoy of vehicles on a stretch of road in northern Burkina Faso leading to the capital city, Ouagadougou (BBC News, 6 September 2022).”