6 dead in armed attack in northern Burkina Faso

By Dramane Traore

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AA) - Unidentified gunmen killed six people and injured another in Burkina Faso's northern Sanmatenga province, local authorities said on Friday.

"On Thursday, around 3 p.m. (1500 GMT), a clash broke out between Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) and suspected terrorists in the town of Dablo, killing six people and injured one more," a security official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions to speak to the media.

The official said that the gunmen fled the scene following the attack.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The West African country has been marred by repeated terror attacks which have claimed many lives over the past five years and displaced thousands of people, who are also facing a serious humanitarian crisis.

Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali in the Sahel are at the epicenter of one of the world's fastest-growing displacement and protection crises.

The region hosts 851,000 refugees and nearly two million displaced people, according to the UN Refugee Agency.