43 people killed in Burkina Faso’s north

KIGALI, Rwanda

At least 43 people were killed in northern Burkina Faso by unidentified assailants, a government statement said.

The Sunday’s attacks targeted two villages of Dinguila and Barga -- inhabited by Fulani herders -- located in Yatenga province near the border with Mali, the statement said on Monday.

Security forces were immediately deployed to secure the villages, it added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Condemning the attack, the government said that every effort was being made to restore calm and tranquility in the villages.

UN figures show extremist attacks in Sahel countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso killed 4,000 people in 2019, causing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis -- having forced 600,000 to flee their homes.