Burkina Faso: Christians killed in attack on church | General news

Gunmen opened fire on a church in northern Burkina Faso, killing at least six people, officials said.

The attackers reportedly arrived on seven motorcycles at the end of Sunday service and reportedly killed the pastor, two of his sons and three other faithful.

This is the first attack on a church since jihadist violence erupted in this West African country in 2016.

Fighters affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as local Ansarul Islam, have been active.

Sunday's attack on the Protestant church took place in the small town of Silgadji, near Djibo, capital of the province of Soum, around 12:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

The number of attackers involved or their possible affiliations is not clear.

Islamist groups have been held responsible for a number of attacks in the country in recent years, reports Simon Gongo of BBC Africa.

Friday, five teachers were killed in the east of the country during another incident attributed to jihadists, added our correspondent.

Meanwhile, the fate of a Catholic priest kidnapped a month ago remains uncertain.