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| Burkina Faso church attack: Priest among six killed | Burkina Faso church attack: Priest among six killed |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Gunmen have killed six people including a priest as Mass was being celebrated in a church in Dablo in northern Burkina Faso, officials say. | |
| The attackers, said to number between 20 and 30, then burned down the church. | The attackers, said to number between 20 and 30, then burned down the church. |
| The town's mayor, Ousmane Zongo, said that there was panic as other buildings were burned down and a health centre looted. | |
| Jihadist violence has flared in Burkina Faso since 2016, and this is the third attack on a church in five weeks. | Jihadist violence has flared in Burkina Faso since 2016, and this is the third attack on a church in five weeks. |
| How did the attack unfold? | |
| It began at about 09:00 (GMT and local time), during Mass. | |
| The mayor of Dablo, Mr Zongo told the AFP news agency: "Armed individuals burst into the Catholic church... They started firing as the congregation tried to flee. | |
| "There is an atmosphere of panic in the town. People are holed up in their homes, nothing is going on. The shops and stores are closed. It's practically a ghost town," he said. | "There is an atmosphere of panic in the town. People are holed up in their homes, nothing is going on. The shops and stores are closed. It's practically a ghost town," he said. |
| Security sources told AFP that reinforcements were being sent from Barsalogho, some 45km (30 miles) to the south. | Security sources told AFP that reinforcements were being sent from Barsalogho, some 45km (30 miles) to the south. |
| Who could be behind the attack? | |
| Islamist groups have been blamed for a number of attacks in the West African nation in recent years. | |
| Fighters affiliated to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group as well as the local Ansarul Islam have been active in the region. | |
| Last month, attackers targeted a Protestant church in the town of Silgadji, killing at least six people | Last month, attackers targeted a Protestant church in the town of Silgadji, killing at least six people |
| And earlier in April, four people died when a Catholic church was attacked in a nearby village, the bishop of Dori in northern Burkina Faso told Vatican news agency Fides. | And earlier in April, four people died when a Catholic church was attacked in a nearby village, the bishop of Dori in northern Burkina Faso told Vatican news agency Fides. |
| Schools and teachers have also been targeted by the groups, who are opposed to Western education. | |
| On Friday, French special forces carried out a rescue mission in northern Burkina Faso, freeing four hostages. | |
| It is believed the four - two French citizens kidnapped in Benin, a South Korean and an American - were being driven to Mali to be handed over to the militant group, Katiba Macina. Two French soldiers died during the mission. | |
| What's the wider picture? | |
| Burkina Faso is among countries in the vast Sahel region battling Islamist insurgencies in the region. | |
| It formed a regional force, G5 Sahel, along with Niger, Chad, Mauritania and Mali to take on the militants. | |
| In January, PM Paul Kaba Thieba resigned amid growing pressure over a rise in kidnappings and jihadist attacks, and Christophe Joseph Marie Dabiré was named his replacement. | |
| France, a former colonial ruler in the region, has some 4,500 troops in four nations carrying out a mission codenamed Barkhane to counter jihadists. |