Gunmen killed 16 people during an attack on a village in northern Burkina Faso. This was confirmed by the government.
Gov. Salfo Kabore said in a statement on Wednesday that the extremists attacked the village of Pobe Mengao in Soum province near the border with Niger on Saturday and Sunday.
Residents had reported the attack to local media earlier this week, but government officials only confirmed the incident early on Wednesday morning.
The identity of the assailants and their affiliation remained unknown on Wednesday.
The north of Burkina Faso, which borders on Mali and Niger, serves as a refuge for Islamist extremists who regularly attack the civilian population.
Bukina Faso, a country of roughly 20 million people, belongs to the world’s ten poorest nations, according to the United Nations.
