UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Wednesday condemned the attack on Seytenga in Burkina Faso, killing scores of civilians.

The attack occurred on Saturday against Seytenga, in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso.

It also resulted in the displacement of large numbers of people from their homes.

“The secretary-general expresses his sincere condolences to the bereaved families of the victims, as well as to the people of Burkina Faso,” his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement.

According to Mr Dujarric, security in Burkina Faso has worsened since 2015 as attacks have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 1.9 million others.

Mr Guterres called on the Burkinabe authorities to spare no effort in identifying and bringing the perpetrators of the latest attack to justice.

He reiterated the commitment of the UN to continue to support Burkina Faso in its efforts to end insecurity and foster social cohesion.

On Tuesday, the Burkinabe government released a report, saying that at least 79 people died in an attack by suspected jihadists on Saturday night in the northern Burkina Faso town of Seytenga.

“Twenty-nine new bodies have been found. This figure is in addition to the 50 or so lifeless bodies already found, bringing the provisional death toll from the killings to 79,” the government said in a statement.

On Monday evening Burkina Faso’s transitional president, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, declared a 72-hour national mourning period for the attack.

According to a presidential decree, the national mourning began Tuesday at midnight and will end at the same time on Thursday night in memory of the victims of the attack. 

(NAN)