Attack on religious procession kills 4 in Burkina Faso

Four people were killed when a Catholic procession was attacked by unidentified armed men in Zimtenga here, church authorities said on Wednesday.

Paul Ouedraogo, president of the Episcopal Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger told CNN that a statue of the Virgin Mary was also burned by the assailants during the attack.

Even though the children in the procession were set free by the attackers, four adults were killed.

This comes a day after gunmen opened fire on worshipers in a Catholic church in Dablo, killing six people, including a priest.

"We will not be bogged down by the religious attacks," Cardinal Philippe Ouedraogo said at a conference here on Tuesday.

Crimes against people from the Christian faith are on the rise in the land-locked African country, with five churchgoers having lost their lives during an attack in Burkina Faso's Silgadji in April this year.

International NGOs have reported that thousands have fled their homes due to rising attacks by armed groups this year.