Nine killed in two attacks in Burkina Faso

Nine people have been killed in two attacks in northern Burkina Faso, a region bearing the brunt of a jihadist revolt, officials said on Monday.

"Six people were killed by armed men overnight Saturday at Pissele, near Bourzanga," a security official said.

Bourzanga is located about 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Djibo, a hotspot for jihadist attacks.

A local administrative official said three people "were shot dead in the village of Bool-Kiiba," and their bodies were found after the assailants left.

Others were unaccounted for, the official said, adding that the attackers also looted possessions, including motorbikes.

A security official confirmed that an attack on Bool-Kiiba had taken place but was unable to give a toll.

Burkina Faso has become part of a seven-year-old jihadist insurgency in the poor, fragile Sahel region.

More than 580 people have been killed since early 2015, according to an AFP toll.

Many of the attacks have been attributed to groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda, and others to the so-called Islamic State group.

On Thursday, five soldiers were killed in an ambush at Toeni, in the northwestern province of Sourou.