Christians in Burkina Faso have faced renewed violence, with teenagers and church workers among those killed in attacks in a country once known for interreligious harmony.

On Oct. 6, 2025, militants stopped a bus in Djibasso parish in the Diocese of Nouna and forced three teenagers to step off before shooting them dead.

The students had been returning from Mali to begin the school year. Hours later, gunmen opened fire on vehicles traveling from Nouna to Dédougou, killing at least 15 people, several of them parishioners.

The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) confirmed the attacks, describing them as part of a campaign of intimidation aimed at driving Christians from their homes.

A local contact said believers live under constant threat.

“Sometimes Christians are permitted to pray, but just as quickly, they can be subjected to abuse. The goal is to make them flee,” the source said.

The violence followed other attacks on church workers. In Fada N’Gourma Diocese, a catechist was kidnapped during Sunday Mass but later released, while another from Saatenga was ambushed and killed days earlier.

According to ACN, extremist groups are now traveling in smaller units, making the roads more dangerous and the attacks harder to predict.

Despite deep fear, many Christians refuse to leave.

“Many have decided to run the risk of remaining,” one source said.

Once a model of peace, Burkina Faso has suffered a sharp security collapse since 2015, as jihadist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State have spread across the Sahel.

More than 20,000 people have been killed, 2 million displaced, and dozens of parishes forced to close, with nearly half the country now under extremist control.