posted by Judy Gray with information from APDC staff in Burkina Faso
Yesterday I received emails from the APDC coordinators, Charles Tankoano and David Lankoandé, letting us know that all the staff of our partner NGO, and their families were safe and not harmed in the horrific attack which took place in the capital, Ouagadougou, on Sunday evening. Lydia Tapsoba, the gender consultant for the project who lives in the capital, was also unharmed but unfortunately one of her co-workers was killed during the attack. Here are some of the words they have used to describe the attack:
“C’est trop pour ce petit pays qui souffre déjà … c’est très triste.” (Lydia) “C’est malheureux ce qui arrive … mais la vie continue.” (David)
It is clear that the citizens of this very poor country, who in my experience are such a warm-hearted, tolerant and hardworking people, continue to suffer at the hands of a few religious extremists. But, as always, they pick themselves up and carry on, refusing to let the actions of terrorists harm their philosophy and the love of their country. I came across this article on the BBC News website which provides some insight into the recent attacks: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39279050
There are a number of articles that discuss the attack and its ramifications and we will update the website with information over the next few days.