As many as 20 civilians have been killed in an overnight attack in north-western Burkina Faso.
Unidentified heavily armed men on motorbikes carried out the attack on a village in Bani municipality, north of the capital Ouagadougou, on Saturday night, AFP news agency says.
The attack comes a week after 39 people were killed when militants attacked a market in Silgadji town.
The Sahel region has seen an increase in jihadist violence in recent months.
News of Saturday’s attack came as France announced it would send a further 600 soldiers to the Sahel region, bringing the total number of French troops to more than 5,000.
Last year saw the highest death toll due to armed conflict in the region since 2012, with more than 4,000 people killed.
The security crisis in the Sahel began when an alliance of separatist and Islamist militants took over northern Mali in 2012. France then launched a military intervention against them.
Although a peace deal was signed in 2015, it was never fully implemented.
New armed groups have since emerged and expanded to central Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, including groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group (IS).
Latest Stories
- Why Ebo Whyte’s ‘Just The Tip’ is a ‘maybe’
1 hour - You can’t intervene in anti-LGBTQ+ bill; you’re not in charge – Bagbin tells Akufo-Addo
1 hour - Tarkwa Rotary Club conducts medical screening for inmates of Tarkwa prisons
2 hours - The stories of slavery must be told – US Vice President after visiting Cape Coast Castle
2 hours - GhLA CEO Hayford Siaw honoured by global philanthropy organisation, Reach for Change
2 hours - World Water Day: Youth engagement maximized to achieve SDG 6
3 hours - Livestream: PM Express discusses US-Ghana relations
4 hours - Hey please! I am in charge – Bagbin tells Akufo-Addo over anti-LGBTQ+ bill
4 hours - Bole-Bamboi MP calls for rerun of the election that approved six ministerial nominees
4 hours - ‘He devoted himself to the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition’ – Akufo-Addo eulogises late Kumawu MP
5 hours - ECG disconnects Ghana Post Accra branch over GH¢89,000 debt
5 hours - Students have still not reported to school despite free SHS – Ashanti Region GES
5 hours - We have a very good candidate in Dr. Duffour – Fritz Bafour
6 hours - Division One: Heart of Lions extend Zone 3 lead to 15 points
6 hours - Kejetia market fire: Traders warned to desist from forceful opening of shops
6 hours