Gunmen in Burkina Faso kill 24 men, kidnap 3 youths in attack near church – report

Gunmen have killed 24 men, including a church pastor, and kidnapped three youths in Burkina Faso, AP reported, citing an official. The attack on Sunday was the latest in a series against religious leaders in the increasingly unstable West African nation.

The mayor of Boundore commune, Sihanri Osangola Brigadie, said the attack occurred in the town of Pansy in Yagha province. About 20 attackers separated men from women close to a Protestant church. At least 10 other people were injured.

The gunmen reportedly looted oil and rice from shops and forced the three youths they kidnapped to help transport it on their motorbikes.

Both Christians and Muslims were killed before the church was set on fire, according to a government security official.