At least five people including a pastor have reportedly been killed during a gun attack on a church in Burkina Faso by suspected militants who fled the scene on motorbikes.

The attack happened during Sunday service at approximately midday in the northern town of Silgadji, close to the border with Mali, according to reports. Celebrant Pierre Ouedraogo, his sons and other worshippers were shot dead in the attack.

“Unidentified armed individuals have attacked the Protestant church in Silgadji killing four members of the congregation and the pastor. At least two other people are missing,” a security source told AFP.

The attack comes amid an uptick in alleged jihadist violence in the country. A Catholic priest was kidnapped a month ago and there has been no update on his whereabouts since, while on Friday, some five teachers were shot dead in the east of the country.

Heavily armed, Al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali have carried out a number of high-profile attacks in central Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in recent months, including an assault on a Malian military base in which 11 soldiers were killed.

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