Ahmet Furkan Mercan
17 February 2020•Update: 17 February 2020
ANKARA
Turkey on Monday condemned a terrorist attack, which killed at least 24 people when gunmen attacked a church in northern Burkina Faso.
“We condemn this terrorist attack. We extend our sincere condolences to the brotherly Government and people of Burkina Faso as well as to the families and relatives of those who lost their lives,” Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“We are deeply saddened to receive the news that many people lost their lives in a terrorist attack perpetrated on 16 February on a Protestant church in the village of Pansi (Yagha) in Burkina Faso,” the ministry added.
At least 24 people were killed and 18 others injured when unidentified armed men attacked the church in Yagha province in the Sahel Region during a religious ceremony on Sunday.
Burkina Faso is witnessing a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian emergency.
In October 2019, over 486,000 internally displaced people were registered, more than twice of the July 2019 figure. The Centre-Nord and Sahel regions in Burkina Faso are the most affected, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
A state of emergency in northern Burkina Faso which ended on Jan. 12 was extended for another year to boost the fight against terrorism.
It is currently being implemented in seven of 13 regions in the country.
* Writing by Handan Kazanci in Istanbul.
