Burkina Faso: Police accidentally Kill Missionary Brother

Brother Moses Simukonde (34), a Zambian Missionary of Africa religious brother, was killed by Burkina Faso police accidentally on March 29, 2023, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Father Didier Sawadogo, the West Africa Provincial of the Missionaries of Africa, announced the brother’s death. His death was called a "tragic accident" by the Burkina Faso government.

“Six years of his life were spent as a missionary in Niger and Burkina Faso," Father Sawadogo said.

According to a Missionaries of Africa representative in Rome, "The tragedy occurred around 9 p.m. on March 29, when our brother was passing near the checkpoint set up by the military police." 

"Soldiers fired several times at individuals whom they thought were a threat. Unfortunately, one of the shots hit Brother Moses, killing him,” he said, adding that “The military police have apologized in an official letter to our congregation and the missionary brother's family."

Brother Simukonde was in a vehicle traveling to the airport to pick up a guest when the tragic killing occurred.

On June 28, 1988, he was born in Monze, Zambia, and trained and served in Kenya, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

When the government declared a state of emergency on March 30, restrictions were put in place in 22 of the country's 45 provinces.

Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and Ansaroul Islam have been doing more terrorist acts in several Burkinabe cities, including the capital, Ouagadougou, in the past few weeks.

Militants often try to attack military bases, schools, government buildings, churches, mosques, and even regular people traveling between cities.

Burkina Faso is a country in western Africa that is landlocked. Formerly a French colony, it obtained independence in 1960 as Upper Volta. The country's capital, Ouagadougou, is located in the middle of the nation, approximately 500 miles (800 kilometers) from the Atlantic Ocean.