Thirty people killed in series of attacks in northern Burkina Faso

A woman, who is among the 300,000 internally displaced because of jihadist violence in northern and eastern Burkina Faso, sits on the ground between stones on September 17, 2019 in the village of Yagma near Ouagadougou. © Issouf Sanogo, AFP

A suspected Islamist armed group killed 30 civilians, army soldiers and pro-government militiamen in a series of attacks in northern Burkina Faso, near the border with Niger, the defence ministry said on Thursday.

The unidentified assailants struck villages near the town of Markoye around midday on Wednesday and then attacked security forces responding to the raids later that afternoon, the Burkinabe defence ministry said in a statement.

The victims included 11 civilians, 15 soldiers and four members of a government-backed civilian militia. More than 10 of the attackers were also killed, the statement said, adding the military had regained control of the area.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Attacks by militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are surging in West Africa's Sahel region, killing thousands and displacing millions in recent years across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)