SW News: In the African country of Burkina Faso, jihadist groups often attack religious leaders and places of worship. On Monday, January 2, suspected jihadists killed Fr Jacques Zerbo, a 67-year-old priest, in the province of Sourou.

Fr Zerbo was kidnapped and murdered this week as he was traveling from the city of Dédougou to the neighbouring village of Gassan to carry out his pastoral obligations. Reportedly, his driver went missing, and his car was hijacked by his assailants.

In a statement released on January 3, the Bishop Prosper Bonaventure Ky of Burkinabe diocese said that he was "deeply saddened" by the killing of Father Zerbo.

The Mali-born priest worked in the Diocese of Dédougou for 37 years. He constructed a youth rehabilitation centre in the Tougan region, but terrorist attacks forced him to relocate it to Moundasso (Dédougou). Father Zerbo was also in charge of the diocesan commission that oversaw the cause for the beatification of Dii Alfred Diban Ki Zerbo, the first Christian of Upper Volta, which later became Burkina Faso.

Since 2015, a number of regions in Burkina Faso have been plagued by terrorist attacks that have become endemic in this country, threatening the country's safety. These attacks have resulted in a large number of casualties and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, while, according to official statistics, more than 40 per cent of the area is beyond the authority of the state.

To strengthen the war against terrorism, on October 24, 2022, the government of Burkina Faso began recruiting 50,000 volunteer fighters for the defence of the country (VDP, Army Auxiliaries) to assist the army in retaking the national territory.