The day Nathalie’s husband was murdered

Nathalie’s husband, Thomas, was killed in an attack on their village in Burkina Faso. Today, will you help stop the violence and start the healing?

“My late husband was committed to serving God and he was always in a hurry to go to church,” remembers Nathalie. “He loved worshipping God and he used to sing at church. One of his favourite songs was, ‘Let’s pray to Jesus Christ to have faith’. He took care of me and my children very well. We didn’t lack anything. He was such a good person.” 

Nathalie holds up a picture of her husband, Thomas. The photo means a lot to her, reminding her of happier times. But their happiness ended one terrible day, when Thomas was one of 31 Christians killed in a brutal attack on their Burkina Faso village by radicalised members of the Fulani people group. Of those killed, 25 left behind widows. 

The terrorists arrive 

Nathalie was in the village when the extremists attacked. “I saw two people on a motorcycle coming in the direction of our house,” she says. “They stopped at the door, and they told my children to ask me to come out for a discussion.” She could tell immediately that the strangers weren’t to be trusted and, instead of going to meet them, she and her children escaped the house. 

“I went straight into the church, knelt down and started praying: ‘God, if you are true, let these terrorists leave our village.’ I was trembling.” 

The attackers demanded that Nathalie come out of the church. When she got there, she saw men from the village had been made to line up. “One terrorist asked me, ‘So you were praying to your God?’ I replied ‘Yes.’ And he asked, ‘Did your God answer your prayer?’ I said, ‘Yes, I think He will.’ And they laughed.” 

She managed to get away to a small garden near her house. “I lay down on my belly and watched,” she remembers. “The terrorists were still bringing people to the church. As dark was falling, I heard a noise – ‘boooom’. At that moment, they shot the men.” 

Nathalie’s loss 

After killing the men, the radicalised Fulani shot their guns into the air and left on their motorcycles. Nathalie says: “I stood up and said, ‘Jesus, You watched over me and nothing happened to me. I am going to my house.’” When she got home, she found that her house was on fire. 

Before she could do anything, the attackers returned. “I ran into the garden and lay down,” says Nathalie. “They were using flashlights and passing not far from me. I spent all night in the garden on my belly.  At dawn, they took their motorcycles and went.” 

She went to find her children – who were thankfully safe and being looked after in a nearby village. It was when she returned to her village that she discovered that her husband, Thomas, was one of the people who had been shot and killed. 

“Aah, it was very difficult to bear,” she laments. “The terrorists took everything we had and our house was burned, so how could I take care of my children?” 

Helped through trauma care 

In Burkina Faso, and across sub-Saharan Africa, violent persecution is escalating. Many communities like Nathalie’s have faced this nightmare – and many more live with the fear that they could be next. Islamist extremists target Christian communities with murder, abduction, looting and the destruction of homes and livelihoods – meaning that even those who survive the violence are often left homeless and desperate. And, of course, these atrocities leave terrible emotional scars on those, like Nathalie, who have lost their loved ones in the most shocking way imaginable. 

With your help and prayers, Open Doors partners can support courageous believers like Nathalie. They provide food, medicine and other practical support, as well as trauma care, helping our brothers and sisters heal from their pain and continue being salt and light. 

“This organisation [Open Doors] gave us trauma care training,” shares Nathalie. “They came to give us peace in our hearts. The trauma care gave me a lot of strength.”  

She adds: “What I remember most is that, when something bad happens to you and you keep it inside you, in your heart, it will eventually end up in suffering. What we learnt is that you should share your internal pains with other people; that will be helpful to you. By the end of the training, our hearts were freed. I am not wondering anymore why God let this happen.” 

There are countless women, men and children in Africa who need the same support. Your gift and prayers today can show our brothers and sisters that they aren’t forgotten. Today, will you help stop the violence and start the healing?