More than a dozen people, thought to be mostly shepherds, have been killed in an attack in eastern Burkina Faso, security and local sources said.

On Sunday, "several dozen terrorists attacked the outskirts of Kompienga", the capital of the province of the same name, killing "around 15 people," a resident told AFP news agency.

The attack was confirmed by a security source and another resident.

At least twelve civilians were killed in an attack by insurgents in an area of western Burkina Faso bordering Mali on Thursday, a local official and residents told AFP news agency.

Around 20 people were killed in the series of raids on villages in the country's troubled north, sources said.

And there were reports Friday that another 20 people had been killed in separate attacks in eastern Burkina Faso.

Last Monday, armed men raided the village of Kaongo in the southeastern province of Koulpelogo, killing at least 11 people including two women and children.

Two days later the neighbouring village of Bilguimdoure was targeted, "leaving around 10 dead", a local official said.

The attackers torched homes and stores in the two villages and made off with cattle, the official added.

People living in the district said that local residents were fleeing the area, terrified of further attacks.