B. Faso: at least 13 civilians killed by armed groups

At least 13 civilians were killed by armed groups over the weekend in Northern Burkina Faso, AFP reports Monday, citing a security source.

The situation caused residents to flee from the village of Pobé-Mengao in the Soum province to Djibo, the provincial capital.

A Djibo resident told AFP that several armed personnel mugged the village on Saturday and kidnapped several residents, looted shops and bolted.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the resident said locals began to flee after discovering dead bodies.

The armed personnel reportedly returned on Sunday, where they fired shots in the air for several hours before leaving.

Security sources said reinforcements were deployed to the village as early as Sunday evening to protect the area.

Burkina Faso has for almost five years fallen into a spiral of violence attributed to jihadist movement, some affiliated to Al-Qaeda and the lslamic State group.

AFP