Rather than celebrating a midnight church service marking the birth of the Lord on Christmas Eve, Christians in Burkina Faso will gather for worship in the afternoon.
Holding services before nightfall allows worshippers to return safely to their homes before dark, when they face the risk of being killed by Islamic extremists.
On October 6, 2025, three Christian students traveling back from Mali for the start of the school year were pulled off a bus and shot dead in Djibasso parish, in the Diocese of Nouna.
Hours later, gunmen opened fire on vehicles along the Nouna–Dédougou road, killing at least 15 people, including passengers from another Christian parish.
These attacks were part of a broader pattern of intimidation targeting Christian communities.
In the same region, catechists were kidnapped or killed in separate incidents in September and October, including one abducted during Sunday Mass and another murdered while returning from a pastoral meeting.
Local sources said the goal was to spread fear among Christians and force them to flee.
Aid to the Church in Need reported that roads have become increasingly dangerous, rumors of renewed terrorist activity are widespread, and fear has taken hold of the civilian population.
Once considered a model of interreligious harmony, Burkina Faso has become a major epicenter of jihadist violence, with tens of thousands killed, millions displaced, dozens of parishes closed, and religious leaders targeted or abducted.
According to Human Rights Watch, Burkina Faso’s human rights situation sharply worsened in 2024 as violence by Islamist armed groups and abuses by state security forces intensified.
UN and conflict-monitoring data estimate that roughly 6,000 civilians were killed between January and August alone, while more than 2.3 million people were displaced, most of them internally.
Jihadist groups carried out mass killings, besieged towns to cut off food and aid, kidnapped civilians, and launched targeted attacks on Christian worshippers and communities accused of cooperating with government forces.
At the same time, Burkinabè military forces and pro-government militias killed at least 1,000 civilians during counterinsurgency operations in the first seven months of the year.
Some incidents, including mass executions of women and children, may amount to crimes against humanity. Graphic footage circulating online showed extreme brutality by men in military uniforms, underscoring the scale of abuse.
The military junta that seized power in 2022 further tightened its grip in 2024, delaying elections, extending its rule for another five years, and sharply restricting media, political opposition, judges, and civil society.
Journalists, activists, and legal officials critical of the regime were abducted, forcibly conscripted, or disappeared. Accountability for atrocities remained minimal, with investigations announced but rarely pursued.
Amid widespread unrest and abuses by government forces, Islamist armed groups including JNIM and ISGS have definitively targeted Christians.
From February to July 2024, they killed at least 128 civilians in attacks that included direct assaults on Christian worshippers.
On February 25, an attack on a Catholic church in Essakane killed at least 12 people. On August 25, attackers in Sanaba murdered 26 Christians inside a church by cutting their throats.
Despite the danger, Christians in Burkina Faso continue to practice their faith. For the tenth consecutive year, Christmas Masses are being held before nightfall to avoid the risks of nighttime travel.
Bishop Théophile Naré of Kaya told Aid to the Church in Need that despite fear, displacement, and attacks on clergy, Christian faith remains strong, particularly in northern and western regions affected by violence spilling over from Mali.
Bishop Naré described widespread displacement from rural villages into towns, with many parishes closed or reachable only under military escort.
He recounted acts of extraordinary courage, including women forming a human shield to protect a priest during Mass, and noted that seminaries remain full despite priests being targeted.
He said efforts to eliminate Christianity have failed, pointing to continued growth, including two million pilgrims gathering at the Marian shrine of Yagma for the 125th anniversary of evangelization.
The Church is responding to overwhelming humanitarian needs by providing food, shelter, medical care, trauma counseling, and education for displaced children, often filling gaps left by an international community that, according to the bishop, has largely ignored the crisis.
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