Burkina Faso: Death toll rises to 16 in mosque attack

Death toll from a mosque attack in Burkina Faso rose to 16, local media reported on Saturday.

On Friday evening, an armed group stormed the Great Salmossi Mosque in Markoye, the northern province of Oudalan, killing 10 people.

Local news website Infowakat said citing security sources that the death toll reached 16 on Saturday. Two people were wounded in the attack.

No official statement has been made so far.

Burkina Faso has been battling militants and inter-ethnic violence since 2015.

Reports indicate hundreds of people have been killed so far this year and more than 150,000 fled their homes due to attacks which spill across the Sahel region.

Last December, a state of emergency was declared in several northern regions, allowing security forces extra powers to search homes and restrict freedom of movement.