The Minister of State for Helping Persecuted Christians and the Implementation of the Hungary Helps Programme at the Prime Minister’s Office paid a visit to the West African country a few days after – on the First Sunday of Advent – armed Islamist terrorists attacked a Christian church and killed 14 innocent believers.

In recent months in Burkina Faso, Jihadist violence targeting Christians has significantly intensified. Dozens of people have lost their lives in religiously motivated terrorist attacks.

In the capital of Burkina Faso Ouagadougou, Mr Azbej met with Cardinal Philippe Ouedraogo who, together with members of the Burkina Faso episcopate, rendered an account of the situation of the Christian community in the country.

After the meeting, Mr Azbej had talks with Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alpha Barry and UNHCR Representative in Burkina Faso Ioli Kimyaci.

Following his talks, Mr Azbej also travelled to the country’s North-Eastern region most affected by terrorism where he visited refugee camps providing temporary shelter for local, internal refugees, and met with survivors of terrorist attacks targeting Christians as well as with the region’s governor.

During his visit to Burkina Faso, Mr Azbej reassured members of the local persecuted Christian community of the Hungarian people’s solidarity, and explored with their involvement how the Hungary Helps Programme could help them. The tenet of the programme is that help must be taken where there are problems, instead of bringing problems here.

(MTI)