No fewer than six civilians were killed by suspected terrorists in Northern Burkina Faso on Thursday.

Local authorities confirmed the attack on Sanmatenga province of the country on Friday.

A security official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity that the killings took place on Thursday afternoon.

“On Thursday, around 3 p.m. (1500 GMT), a clash broke out between Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) and suspected terrorists in the town of Dablo, killing six people and injured one more,” he said.

The official said that the gunmen fled the scene following the attack.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The West African country has been marred by repeated terror attacks which have claimed many lives over the past five years and displaced thousands of people, who are also facing a serious humanitarian crisis.

Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali in the Sahel are at the epicentre of one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement and protection crises.

The region hosts 851,000 refugees and nearly two million displaced people, according to the UN Refugee Agency.