Ouagadougou, May 24 (BNA) At least 11 civilians were killed in attacks targeting two villages in northern Burkina Faso, a regional governor said in a statement.
Unidentified armed assailants targeted the two communities in the Sinoe region, who are among those affected by growing insecurity as jihadist groups with links to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State seek to seize the once-peaceful parts of West Africa’s Central Sahel region, Reuters reported.
In a statement on Monday, Governor Rudolf Sorgo did not provide further details about the attacks but called on local residents to be vigilant.
A local official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said another 14 civilians, who were reported missing after the raids, were found dead.
Reuters could not independently verify the information.
In recent years, Islamist violence has claimed thousands of lives and forced more than two million people to flee their homes in the Sahel.
On Saturday, Burkina Faso’s army said five soldiers were killed in repelling a large-scale attack by militants in the northern central region earlier that day. It said its forces killed about thirty militants in the clash.
Public frustration with the authorities’ handling of the security situation led to protests in Burkina Faso that culminated in a military coup in January.
The crisis in the Sahel began when militants seized control of the northern desert adjacent to Mali in 2012, prompting France to intervene the following year in an attempt to drive them out. But the rebels have regrouped in recent years and seized more territory.