Just an hour after villagers in Rambo, Burkina Faso, completed a community effort to protect against surprise attacks, around 1,000 terrorists stormed their peaceful community, home to both Christians and Muslims.
On Oct. 17, 2024, suspected members of al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) arrived in an assault that could have led to devastating losses.
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Earlier that day, hundreds of residents gathered to clear trees and brush from the surrounding areas — a preventive measure against terrorist ambushes. Under the protection of Burkina Faso’s military forces and the Volunteers for Defense of the Homeland (VDP), a local pro-government militia, the villagers completed their project by 1 p.m. and returned to their homes, believing the worst of the day’s challenges were behind them.
But only an hour later, gunfire erupted. The militants, likely unaware of the military and VDP presence, launched a massive offensive, attempting to overrun the village. Most residents had already gone inside, escaping the line of fire. The armed forces, backed by drones, immediately countered the terrorists, protecting villagers and engaging the attackers in an intense battle. Within just an hour, the military had largely driven the militants back, securing Rambo and preventing a far worse outcome.
The swift and decisive response spared Rambo the kind of devastation that struck the Burkina Faso town of Barsalogho in August. In that attack, JNIM fighters ambushed villagers as they dug protective trenches, killing an estimated 600 civilians in one of the deadliest terrorist assaults in Burkina Faso’s history. Just a day later, 26 Christians were murdered while worshipping at a nearby church, and hundreds more were forced to flee on foot.
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“We believe it was the Lord’s intervention and the church’s prayers that kept the attack in Rambo from becoming like the one in Barsalogho,” a local pastor told Global Christian Relief. “We are thankful to God that the military was here.”
Terrorist attacks have increased across Burkina Faso and other countries in Africa’s Sahel region, leaving thousands displaced and struggling to survive.
As violence escalates, the church in Burkina Faso is calling for continued prayers and international support in the struggle for safety and peace.
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Pastor Moses is a writer for Global Christian Relief (GCR), America’s leading watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. In addition to equipping the Western church to advocate and pray for the persecuted, GCR works in the most restrictive countries to protect and encourage Christians threatened by faith-based discrimination and violence.
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