Officials have decried the "despicable and barbaric attack," but did not immediately say who was behind it. The West African country has been fighting militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group since 2013.

At least 44 civilians were killed by terrorist groups in northeastern Burkina Faso, a regional governor said on Saturday.

Rodolphe Sorgho, the lieutenant governor of the Sahel region, decried "this despicable and barbaric attack" in the villages of Kourakou and Tondobi in northeast Burkina Faso. The gunmen killed 31 in Kourakou and 13 in Tondobi, and more people are wounded, according to the official.

The Burkina Faso military fought the group, and "actions to stabilize the area are under way," he added.

A resident of Kourakou told the AFP news agency that "a large number of terrorists burst into the village."

"All night long, we heard gunfire. It was on Friday morning that we saw that there were several dozen dead," he added.

Burkina Faso, which witnessed two coups last year, become the epicenter of the security crisis last year in the Sahel.

The more recent coup, in September, put Ibrahim Traore in charge. Traore claimed the military takeover was necessary to counter the country's jihadist insurgency.

France supported the fight against Islamic insurgency in West Africa since 2013 and in Burkinabe soil since 2018. However, deterioration of relations between countries following the September military takeover saw French troops exit the country earlier this year at Ouagadougou's request.

rm/dj (AFP, AP)