In a region where guns intersect with humanitarian crises, and where ethnic and religious divisions and the challenges of extremism are at play, the Catholic bishops of Burkina Faso and Niger chose to raise a different message from the heart of the Vatican: “Peace through dialogue, social cohesion through religious rapprochement, and confronting violence with the language of coexistence, not the language of weapons.”
They issued a new appeal to promote peace in the Sahel region of Africa, stressing that interfaith dialogue has become a strategic necessity to save the region from the spiral of violence and social disintegration that has been widening for years.
This stance came after a visit by bishops to the Vatican, where they met with the Pope and Catholic Church officials, and presented to them the security, humanitarian and religious challenges facing the Sahel countries, especially Burkina Faso and Niger, which are witnessing an escalation in armed attacks and displacement crises.
The bishops offered prayers "for peace for the peoples of the Sahel and the entire world," in a message that carried religious, political, and humanitarian dimensions all at once.
During a mass held in the Italian capital, Rome, in the presence of believers, clergy, and diplomats accredited to the Holy See, the bishops offered prayers “for peace for the peoples of the Sahel and the whole world,” in a message that carried religious, political, and humanitarian dimensions all at once.
The Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Prosper Kountybo, called on Christians to become “living signs of hope” amid the security breakdowns and social tensions plaguing the region, stressing that violence cannot be countered with hate speech or “sterile debates,” but rather through a culture of non-violence, tolerance and dialogue.
This discourse reflects a growing shift within religious institutions in the Sahel towards direct involvement in social mediation efforts, after extremist groups began exploiting economic fragility and local divisions to expand their influence, especially in rural and border areas.
In this context, Catholic officials stressed the importance of promoting dialogue with Muslims and followers of traditional African religions, as a prerequisite for maintaining social stability and coexistence within the multi-identity communities of the Sahel.
Bishop Ignatius Kane-Morom Anebo of Maradi, Niger, confirmed that the meetings with the Pope focused on “partnership with everyone,” whether with official authorities or with other religious groups, adding that “social cohesion and the spirit of coexistence can only be built through constant dialogue.”
These calls are particularly important in the Sahel region, which in recent years has become one of the most fragile hotspots of violence in the world, where the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are facing intertwined armed rebellions, amid declining confidence in military approaches alone.
Hence, the religious call for peace appears to be an attempt to restore the “soft power” of spiritual and social institutions, by building bridges of trust between local communities, reducing hate speech, and confronting extremism with a moderate religious discourse that transcends divisions.
During their visit, the bishops also discussed the “Sahel for Peace” initiative, a regional platform supported by the Catholic Church and a number of religious leaders in West Africa, which aims to develop a collective response to the security and humanitarian crises plaguing the region.
The humanitarian dimension was not absent from the Church's discourse, as bishops called for increased support for displaced people affected by armed violence.
In this context, the participants recalled the outcomes of the regional forum held in March 2026 in the Malian capital, Bamako, which resulted in the issuance of the “Bamako Appeal” calling for the promotion of peace and coexistence among the peoples of the region, with the participation of religious leaders from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
The humanitarian dimensions were not absent from the Church’s discourse, as the bishops called for increased support for displaced people affected by armed violence, at a time when data from the organization “Ocades Caritas Burkina” indicates that the number of internally displaced people in Burkina Faso has exceeded one million people.
The Catholic Church also announced the organization of the fifth edition of the Journalism for Peace and Social Cohesion Award in June 2026 in Ouagadougou, in a move that reflects the bet on the media as a partner in confronting extremism and promoting a culture of civil peace.
The ongoing religious movement in the Sahel reveals a growing conviction that the crisis is no longer solely a security issue, but has become a crisis of trust, social disintegration, and shared identity. Therefore, building peace in the region may not only require armies and military alliances, but also mosques, churches, and platforms for community dialogue.
In light of the stalled political solutions and the escalating human cost, the calls of religious figures today appear to be an attempt to revive a middle ground between the state and society, with the message: “There is no lasting stability in the Sahel without social reconciliation, and no possible reconciliation without religious dialogue and a culture of coexistence that transcends crises and divisions.”
The calls from religious figures today appear to be an attempt to revive a middle ground between the state and society.
However, the growing calls for interfaith dialogue in the Sahel also raise serious questions about the willingness of extremist Islamist groups, particularly those active in the tri-border region of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, to reconsider their ideological and military options and embrace approaches based on de-escalation and communication with other religious authorities, including the Catholic Church. The complexities of the situation on the ground, increasing military pressure, and internal divisions may push some elements within these groups to seek less confrontational solutions, especially given the rising voices of local Islamists calling for a return to moderate Islam in the region.
The success of some African experiences in employing religious and spiritual leaders to contain violence gives advocates of dialogue hope that indirect channels of communication can be opened in the future, even if the most hardline organizations remain linked to cross-border agendas that make their acceptance of religious dialogue with Catholic authorities extremely complicated at the present stage.
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