Deadly violence shuts down 2,000+ schools depriving more than 330,000 children of an education in Burkina Faso.

A Christian Post article published Wednesday, June 19, reports, "Islamic Extremists in Burkina Faso reaffirm allegiance to ISIS as Christians flee." Claiming responsibility for deadly attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, Islamic extremists in West Africa are declaring loyalty to the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Men, women and children are being targeted for their faith in ruthless acts of violence as members of the Islamic State West Africa Province compete with al-Qaeda loyalists in the region for the “allegiance of potential terrorists.”

According to the UN’s latest OCHA Situation Report, more than 170,000 people have been uprooted from their homes this year, and over two thousand schools have been forced to close because of the violence, depriving 330,000 children of an education.

Suzanne Buchanan, one of our administrative assistants, has fond memories of growing up in Burkina Faso in the 1970s  in a missionary family. She dearly loves the Burkinabe people. Suzanne shared,

The people of Burkina Faso are in one word, INCREDIBLE! I have traveled all over the world and have never met a kinder people than the Burkinabe. They are warm, friendly, kind, self-sacrificing and they are this way even though they live very difficult lives. They are very relational and love to just sit and talk. They are the hardest working people you will ever meet, though they are also some of the poorest people in the world. (I will share more of Suzanne's first-hand insights about Burkina Faso in my next update.)

The current situation is heartbreaking for Suzanne, who still has many close Burkinabe friends. It should break your heart, too – as the plight of these people is being largely ignored by major news outlets, and worse, by the American church at large.

Families are fleeing in desperation, carrying very little, if anything, with them. An estimated 1.2 million people currently require relief assistance as the violent, deadly attacks continue across the heavily populated country. They urgently need our help.

I previously shared about the sixth deadly attack specifically targeting Christians in Burkina Faso in as many weeks in Arbinda and Namentenga. Twenty-nine Christians were mercilessly gunned down there earlier this month, many others were injured and thousands more fled in fear. Our teams in the field say there is no longer a Christian population left in Arbinda.

We must respond to urgent pleas for prayer and assistance without delay. Will you partner with Liberty Relief International today to help minister to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our brothers and sisters suffering such harsh persecution?

Your secure, tax-deductible gift of 50, 100, 500 dollars or more will enable us to send urgently needed aid to our partners in the field who are working with families fleeing the threat in Burkina Faso, and others whose faith puts them at constant risk from violence, torture, false imprisonment, kidnapping, rape or even death.

Your generosity will help provide for their immediate humanitarian need as well as emergency food and water, safe houses, trauma counseling, literacy training and job training; restoration assistance to rebuild churches and homes; Bibles, Bible study materials and discipleship training for new believers.

And as you pray for Christians around the world who are suffering violent persecution for their faith—even facing eradication in many nations—remember to share this information with family, friends, and fellow church members to raise awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians in these harsh regions. You can also follow LRI on Facebook and share the updates that are reported there.

We must not stand idly by as a war on Christians takes place in these countries. In his report on global persecution of Christians, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt stated what many refuse to believe: “The specific stated objective of extremist groups in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and northern Africa is the violent eradication of Christians.”

Please let me hear from you today. Our prayers and our practical help are a lifeline for our persecuted family facing horrible threats like this. Thank you in advance for standing with LRI to pray for and care for our hurting family all over the world.

God bless you,

Mat Staver
Chairman

PS: You can help LRI minister to the urgent needs of persecuted Christians and others in unbelievably desperate situations with your generous gift today.

* Representative photos/names used for security reasons.