Burkina Faso Christians killed in attack on church Published duration 29 April 2019

image copyright Getty Images image caption Police on patrol in northern Burkina Faso in 2018

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

The attackers reportedly arrived on seven motorbikes at the end of Sunday's service and killed the pastor, two of his sons and three other worshippers.

It is the second reported church attack this month and since jihadist violence erupted in the country in 2016.

Fighters affiliated to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group as well as the local Ansarul Islam have been active.

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

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

A Catholic Church was also attacked in a nearby village on 5 April, killing four people, the bishop of Dori in northern Burkina Faso told Vatican news agency Fides

Islamist groups have been blamed for a number of attacks in the West African nation in recent years, BBC Afrique's Simon Gongo reports.

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

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

Correction 1 May 2019: This story has been amended to include a reported attack on a Catholic Church in northern Burkina Faso on 5 April.

Related Topics Burkina Faso