Burkina Faso ambush leaves at least 5 soldiers dead

At least five soldiers have been killed in an ambush in northwestern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali, security forces told AFP on Friday.

"A military patrol was attacked last night (Thursday) in an ambush by armed individuals near Toeni," in Sourou province, a security source said. One other soldier was injured.

The army fired back and sent out a patrol to track down the attackers, another source said.

A similar attack in the region left four soldiers dead a month ago.

In a separate development, locals told AFP a bridge had been blown up at Boukouma on the road linking the northern towns of Djibo and Dori.

Thousands of residents have fled the region in the wake of repeat jihadist attacks.

The attacks -- mostly in the north and east -- have left more than 570 people dead since 2015, according to an AFP tally.

The Burkinabe government has logged some 440 incidents in the same period.

With the army struggling to contain the violence, the attacks have spread westward into other parts of the country.

Burkina Faso last week hosted an extraordinary summit of West African states at which leaders announced a billion-dollar five-year plan to fight jihadists and prevent violence spreading across the region.