25 civilians killed in Burkina attack: UN

OUAGADOUGOU: Twenty-five civilians, most of them people displaced by jihadist violence, have been killed in an ambush in central-northern Burkina Faso, the UN’s refugee agency said on Wednesday.

The attack took place on Sunday night nine kilometres from the town of Pissila in Sanmatenga province, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a press release. An armed group stopped a convoy carrying 46 people, separated out the men and killed them, except for one who was left for dead.

They then released the women and children, who managed to reach Pissila to raise the alarm. The Burkinabe government did not react officially to the statement. Sources in the region confirmed that an attack had taken place, but gave a lower toll. "The attack occurred on Sunday evening, but it was on Monday morning that about 25 bodies were found, near the site of the attack," said one official.