The mother-in-law of an American missionary has confirmed that he was among those killed after Al-Qaida fighters attacked a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou.
See also: Gunmen Lay Siege To Burkina Faso Hotel
Carol Boyle said Michael Riddering, 45, died in the Cappuccino Cafe, where he was to meet a group Friday that was going to volunteer at the orphanage and women’s crisis center he ran with his wife, Amy Boyle-Riddering.
Riddering arrived early and was in the cafe with a local pastor; when the attack started, they ran in different directions, Boyle said. The pastor had Riddering’s phone, and called Boyle-Riddering to say they were at the cafe and there was gunfire, but then the line went dead.
The pastor hid in the cafe; he survived. It wasn’t until a fellow Christian missionary found Riddering in the morgue on Saturday that they knew he was dead.
He leaves behind four children, two of whom were adopted from Burkina Faso.
At least 28 people died in the attack by fighters, which triggered a siege lasting more than 12 hours. The dead, which included victims from 18 different countries, included the wife and young daughter of the Italian cafe owner, two French citizens, two Swiss citizens, and six Canadians.
Source: Associated Press