The Muslim community in Burkina Faso marked Eid al-Adha, known locally as Tabaski, on Wednesday with large gatherings of worshippers in Ouagadougou.
Prayers and calls for national unity characterised the various ceremonies in a country still grappling with a severe security crisis.
At the Place de la Nation in Ouagadougou, thousands of worshippers gathered for the main Eid al-Adha prayer in the presence of a government delegation led by the Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, Pingdwendé Gilbert Ouédraogo, and the Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries, Yacouba Zabré.
Religious leaders and worshippers offered prayers for the return of peace, stronger social cohesion, and prosperity for a Sahel country blighted by more than a decade of jihadist attacks, which have left thousands dead and millions displaced.
From the Sunni movement, several hundred faithful also gathered at the field opposite the Ouaga 2000 banquet hall. In the absence of Imam Mohamed Ishaq Kindo, the prayer was led by Imam Mahmoud Ouédraogo, in the presence of government officials.
In his sermon, Imam Ouédraogo urged worshippers, particularly young people, “to show restraint, responsibility and solidarity in the face of the difficult situation the country is going through.”
In a message addressed to all Burkinabe on the occasion of the celebration, junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré paid tribute to government troops fighting insurgents in disparate theatres of operations, stating that “their sacrifice will never be in vain.”
He also called for a “sacred union” and “active solidarity” to overcome the “forces of evil.”
HO/te/Sf/lb/as/APA