U.S. missionary killed in Burkina Faso attack

UPDATE: Christian missionary Amy Riddering wrote today that “heaven has gained a warrior”: her husband, Mike Riddering, who died in a terror attack at a café and hotel in the capital of Burkina Faso.

“My heart is so heavy and I am having trouble believing he is gone,” Amy posted on Facebook. “Mike was an example in the way he lived and loved. God be glorified! Mike Riddering I will love you always! You left quite a legacy here. I can only imagine the adventures you are having now.”

The United States has not officially confirmed the death of Mike Riddering, an American who had ministered in Burkina Faso since 2011. He had gone to meet a pastor at the Cappuccino restaurant when the attack occurred Friday night. Armed militants opened fire on the café and moved to a hotel across the street, taking hostages. An al-Qaeda affiliate known as AQIM claimed responsibility for the attack.

In an account posted on the French-language website RFI Afrique, an eyewitness named Ibrahim described the scene of the attack (translated for WORLD by Stuart Showalter, a missionary who is returning to Burkina Faso from the U.S. next week):

“I saw three individuals who had come out with kalashnikov [rifles], they began to shoot. There was even one who pointed his arm toward my vehicle. So, I turned around. As I was going backwards, I saw that the glass panes of Cappuccino had exploded into bits. There were two bodies on the ground. … The attackers that I saw were three. They had white skin and turbans. They were shooting while moving forward as if they wanted people to leave in order to carefully define their perimeter.”

Amy Riddering sent a plea for prayers over social media when she did not hear from her husband after the attack.

“I still have no news about Mike,” she wrote. “I called the embassy this morning and they said they would call as soon as they know something. … Please pray! We need a miracle!”

Hours later, she updated her Facebook page with the news her husband had died.

“Heaven has gained a warrior!” she wrote. “I know God has a purpose in all things but sometimes it is a complete mystery to me. My best friend, partner in crime and love of my life. The best husband ever. An amazing father to his children and a papa to everyone.”

OUR EARLIER REPORT (1:15 p.m.): An American missionary in Burkina Faso remained missing this morning after al-Qaeda militants attacked a hotel Friday night in the West African nation.

Mike and Amy Riddering live and work in Yako, a town about 70 miles north of the capital city Ougadougou. Mike Riddering was supposed to be meeting a pastor at Cappuccino, the restaurant in Ougadougou where the attack began. Militants attacked the eatery and then went across the street to the Splendid Hotel, where they seized hostages. French special forces joined with soldiers from Burkina Faso to bring an end to the siege. As of midday Saturday local time, Amy Riddering still had not heard from her husband, she said in a Facebook post.

“I have contacted the embassy,” she wrote. “They are aware now Mike was in the area and I have not heard from him. At the time of my call, there were no reports of wounded Americans, but they are sweeping the area picking up any that they find. I am holding onto this little bit of positive news.”

Riddering posted that she later heard from the pastor, whom she called Pastor Valentin. He survived the attack but was separated from Mike Riddering.

According to their blog, the Ridderings moved to Burkina Faso in December 2011. They work with the U.S. non-profit Sheltering Wings, based in St. Louis, Mo. Sheltering Wings sponsors an orphanage, clinic, and school in Burkina Faso.

“We answered God’s call and bowed down before Him in prayer and submitted ourselves to His will,” the Ridderings wrote on their blog. “Life can be surprising and we are excited that God has placed the country and the people of Burkina Faso on our hearts. Please pray that we continue allowing God to direct our steps as we minister to the orphans and widows of Yako.”

Burkina Faso, a Muslim-majority country, has experienced political instability in recent years after a civil uprising in 2014 overthrew the president who ruled for 27 years before that. After a tumultuous transition that included an attempted military coup, a popularly elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, took office at the end of 2015.

Foreign leaders called the attack on the hotel and restaurant, both frequented by international diplomats, an attack on democracy. At least 23 people have been reported killed, including four extremist attackers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.