Dozens dead in Burkina Faso attacks

At least 24 people, including civilian defence volunteers, have been killed in two attacks by suspected militants in Burkina Faso, security and local sources told the AFP news agency.

The deadliest attack took place on Tuesday in a village in Bittou, near the Togolese and Ghanaian borders, according to one local official on Wednesday, who said 16 auxiliary soldiers and four civilians were killed.

He said that several were still missing.

"More than a dozen terrorists were killed in response to the attack," he added.

An official in the volunteer militia confirmed the attack and said at least another four volunteers had been killed during a second clash in the same region.

On Wednesday, several hundred people demonstrated in Bittou calling for better security protection, according to residents contacted by AFP.

READ MORE: Tens of security forces members killed in Burkina Faso

Over 10,000 killed

Since their creation in December 2019, the volunteer militia forces have faced heavy tolls in the country's fight against militant groups.

Captain Ibrahim Traore, Burkina's transitional president, has declared a goal of recapturing 40 percent of the territory, which is controlled by militants.

The violence has left more than 10,000 people dead, according to non-governmental aid groups, and displaced two million people from their homes.

On Sunday, officials said at least 32 defence volunteers and 10 soldiers died in suspected militant attacks in the country's insurgency-hit north.

Earlier this month, Burkina's military junta declared a "general mobilisation" to give the state "all necessary means" to combat a string of militant attacks since the start of this year.

And the government had already announced a plan in February to recruit 5,000 additional soldiers to battle the insurgency that has gripped one of the world's poorest countries since 2015.

READ MORE: Burkina Faso declares 'general mobilisation' to quell insurgency