Terrorists killed roughly 50 travelers in eastern Burkina Faso, according to the governor of the province.
Colonel Hubert Yameogo, the governor of the East Region, said it was unclear who was behind the attack on people of the Madjoari rural commune on Wednesday.
In this location, Islamist gunmen frequently go on the rampage.
According to Yameogo, the victims were on their way to a town in the nearby commune of Pama, which is close to the borders with Benin and Togo.
In recent years, Islamist extremists linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have taken control of large swaths of Burkina Faso, as part of a larger conflict in West Africa’s semi-arid Sahel area.
Thousands of people have been killed each year as the violence has grown and worsened over the last decade.
The fighting has now spread to the coasts of West Africa, including Benin and Togo.
Eight soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in northern Togo this month in what was likely the first deadly raid in Togo by Islamist militants.
Wednesday’s attack in Burkina Faso followed two others this month in Madjoari.
One killed 17 civilians and another killed 11 soldiers.
Army officers angry about worsening militant attacks overthrew Burkina Faso’s president in January and vowed to improve security, but levels of violence have remained high.
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