Gunmen kill six, set fire to church

Gunmen killed a priest and five parishioners during mass Sunday in an attack on a Catholic church in Dablo, northern Burkina Faso, security sources and a local official said.

“Towards 9:00 am, during mass, armed individuals burst into the Catholic church,” Dablo mayor Ousmane Zongo told AFP. “They started firing as the congregation tried to flee.”

The attackers -- between 20 and 30 according to a security source -- managed to trap some of the worshippers, Zongo added. “They killed five of them. The priest, who was celebrating mass, was also killed.”

The gunmen then set fire to the church, several shops and a small cafe before heading to the local health centre, which they looted, burning the chief nurse’s vehicle.

“There is an atmosphere of panic in the town,” said Zongo.

“People are holed up in their homes. Nothing is going on. The shops and stores are closed. It’s practically a ghost town,” he added.