Overview
The land-locked west African country of Burkina Faso is bordered by Mali and Niger to its north, and the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin to its south. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Known as the Republic of Upper Volta until the mid-1980s, Burkina Faso was formerly part of French West Africa, gaining its independence in 1960. French is still the language of government and the business world.
Since gaining its independence the country has been subject to on-going insecurity, with several military coups (including two in 2022) and has been prone to repeated droughts and famine. The vast majority of its people rely on subsistence agriculture. Cotton is a major cash crop.
The country has a population of just over 20 million, around 64% of whom are from an Islamic (mainly Sunni) background. Christians make up more than a quarter of the population, with about 20% being Catholic and 5% Protestant.
What it means to be a Christian in Burkina Faso
Although Christianity is a minority religion in Burkina Faso, Christians and Muslims had a history of living side-by-side relatively peacefully, until the mid-2010s. The situation is very different today.
Persecution
Since 2015 there has been an increase of violent attacks on Christians by Salafi jihadist Muslim militant groups, part of a broader network or coalition who are seeking to establish an Islamic state across what is known as the Sahel, a region that stretches across the continent of Africa between the Sahara to the north and the savannas to the south.
Initially the attacks were limited to the north of the country and affected the population generally. But the situation has become significantly worse for Christians since 2019, with many churches being attacked and pastors and other Christian leaders being targeted and killed. Christians have been singled out for killing when attackers have stopped cars and buses on the roads.
Many Christians have been forced to flee their homes and villages and have ended up on refugee camps, desperate for food. It is reckoned there are currently more than 2 million displaced people in Burkina Faso (which represents about 10% of the population). Christians are often discriminated against when it comes to the distribution of aid.
Release International work
The long-term displacement of people has created many challenges in the country. Release International is working through sister organisations and a local partner to respond to these: by providing borehole wells for clean water in large settlements for internally displaced people; supporting the education of displaced Christian children; and supporting Christian widows and displaced pastors with livelihood activities that help them rebuild their lives.
