Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Police on patrol in northern Burkina Faso in 2018

Gunmen have opened fire on a church in northern Burkina Faso, killing at least six people, officials say.

The attackers reportedly arrived on seven motorbikes at the end of Sunday's service and killed the pastor, two of his sons and three other worshippers.

It is the second reported church attack this month and since jihadist violence erupted in the country in 2016.

Fighters affiliated to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group as well as the local Ansarul Islam have been active.

Sunday's attack on the Protestant church happened in the small town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province, at around 12:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

The number of attackers involved or their possible affiliations is not clear.

A Catholic Church was also attacked in a nearby village on 5 April, killing four people, the bishop of Dori in northern Burkina Faso told Vatican news agency Fides.

Islamist groups have been blamed for a number of attacks in the West African nation in recent years, BBC Afrique's Simon Gongo reports.

On Friday, five teachers were killed in the east of the country in another incident attributed to jihadists, our correspondent adds.

Meanwhile, the fate of a Catholic priest kidnapped a month ago remains unclear.

Correction 1 May 2019: This story has been amended to include a reported attack on a Catholic Church in northern Burkina Faso on 5 April.</s>By The Associated Press

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — A Burkina Faso government spokesman says six people, including a pastor, have been killed in an attack on a Christian church in the country’s north. The violence took place Sunday…

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — A Burkina Faso government spokesman says six people, including a pastor, have been killed in an attack on a Christian church in the country’s north.

The violence took place Sunday in the village of Silgadji, not far from the volatile border with Mali.

Urbain Kabore, the communications director for the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, said Monday that the six people were slain after Sunday services.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility though violent Islamic extremism has been increasingly destabilizing the country. A number of jihadist groups are known to operate the area.

Authorities said that in a separate incident in the east of Burkina Faso, five teachers were shot to death Friday.

The Islamic extremists also have targeted foreigners, abducting and killing a Canadian geologist earlier this year.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — A Burkina Faso government spokesman says six people, including a pastor, have been killed in an attack on a Christian church in the country’s north.

The violence took place Sunday in the village of Silgadji, not far from the volatile border with Mali.

Urbain Kabore, the communications director for the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, said Monday that the six people were slain after Sunday services.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility though violent Islamic extremism has been increasingly destabilizing the country. A number of jihadist groups are known to operate the area.

Authorities said that in a separate incident in the east of Burkina Faso, five teachers were shot to death Friday.

The Islamic extremists also have targeted foreigners, abducting and killing a Canadian geologist earlier this year.</s>At least 28 killed in 'terrorist attacks' on Burkina Faso army HQ, French embassy

Unidentified gunmen killed one pastor and five congregants in an attack on a Protestant church in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday, government spokesman Remy Fulgance Dandjinou said Monday, in the latest violence to rock the formerly peaceful west African nation.

Sunday's raid took place in the small northern town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province.

"Unidentified armed individuals have attacked the Protestant church in Silgadji, killing four members of the congregation and the main pastor," a security source told AFP.

"At least two other people are missing," the source added.

It was the first attack on a church since violence erupted in Burkina Faso in 2015.

Former colonial ruler France has deployed some 4,500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission codenamed Barkhane to help local forces try to flush out terrorist groups.

"The attack happened around 1 p.m., just as the faithful were leaving the church at the end of the service," a member of the church who did not want to be identified told AFP.

"The attackers were on motorbikes. They fired in the air before aiming at the members of the congregation," the witness added.

Burkina Faso has suffered from increasingly frequent and deadly attacks attributed to a number of terrorist groups, including Daesh terror group's Greater Sahara branch.

The raids began in 2015 in the north before targeting the capital Ouagadougou and other regions, notably in the east.

A total of 350 people have been killed since 2015 -- mainly in hit-and-run raids -- according to an AFP tally.

The terrorist groups regularly target both Muslim and Christian clerics, mainly in the north.

In February, a Spanish Catholic priest, Father Cesar Fernandez, was killed in a raid attributed to terrorists in Nohao in the center of the country. He was returning from the adjoining country of Togo when it happened.

Fernandez, 72, had been working in Africa since 1982 for the Salesians of Don Bosco order.

In March, gunmen abducted Catholic priest Father Joel Yougbare from Botogui, near Djibo, in the north. The Catholic Church has not yet confirmed reports that his body has since been found.

Several imams, targeted by the terrorists for supposedly collaborating with authorities, have also been killed in the north, security sources say.

But religious leaders are not the only people targeted by the terrorists. On Friday, terrorists attacked a village school in Maitaougou, in the eastern province of Koulpelogo, killing five teachers and a municipal worker.

Human Right Watch's Sahel director Corinne Dufka recently said that the surge in terrorist violence and a government crackdown had "forced tens of thousands of villagers to flee since early 2019."

"Scores of people have been murdered in what amounts to a dramatic deterioration in the rights situation in northern Burkina Faso," she said last month.

Dufka said villagers live in fear as both the terrorists and government troops "have demonstrated utter disregard for human life."

Around 4.3 million people have been driven from their homes in the worsening violence that has engulfed the entire Sahel region, including 1 million over the past year, according to U.N. humanitarian officials.</s>Suspected terrorists have killed a pastor and four churchgoers in northern Burkina Faso, a state-owned radio station...</s>Five people, including a pastor died in an attack on a church in Burkina Faso, security and local sources said Monday in a country which has seen a surge in killings blamed on jihadists.

Sunday’s assault in the small northern town of Silgadji was the first on a church in the impoverished west African nation.

“Unidentified armed individuals have attacked the Protestant church in Silgadji killing four members of the congregation and the pastor. At least two other people are missing,” a security source told AFP.</s>Unidentified gunmen killed one pastor and five congregants in an attack on a Protestant church in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday, government spokesman Remy Fulgance Dandjinou said on Monday.

Burkina Faso has been beset by rising Islamist violence this year, but the attack was the first of its kind on a church in the religiously tolerant West African country, Dandjinou told Reuters.</s>Ahmed Ouoba, AFP | Sunday's raid marks the first attack on a church since jihadist violence erupted in Burkina Faso in 2015.

Gunmen killed four worshippers and a pastor in an attack on a church in Burkina Faso, security and local sources said Monday, in the latest violence to rock the formerly peaceful West African nation.

Sunday's raid took place in the small northern town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province.

"Unidentified armed individuals have attacked the Protestant church in Silgadji, killing four members of the congregation and the main pastor," a security source told AFP.

"At least two other people are missing," the source added.

It was the first attack on a church since jihadist violence erupted in Burkina Faso in 2015.

Former colonial ruler France has deployed some 4,500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission codenamed Barkhane to help local forces try to flush out jihadist groups.

"The attack happened around 1:00 pm, just as the faithful were leaving the church at the end of the service," a member of the church who did not want to be identified told AFP.

"The attackers were on motorbikes. They fired in the air before aiming at the members of the congregation," the witness added.

Burkina Faso has suffered from increasingly frequent and deadly attacks attributed to a number of jihadist groups, including the Ansarul Islam group, the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

The raids began in 2015 in the north before targetting the capital Ouagadougou and other regions, notably in the the east.

A total of 350 people have been killed since 2015 -- mainly in hit-and-run raids -- according to an AFP tally.

The jihadist groups regularly target both Muslim and Christian clerics, mainly in the north.

In February, a Spanish Catholic priest, Father Cesar Fernandez, was killed in a raid attributed to jihadists in Nohao in the centre of the country. He was returning from the adjoining country of Togo when it happened.

Fernandez, 72, had been working in Africa since 1982 for the Salesians of Don Bosco order.

In March, gunmen abducted Catholic priest Father Joel Yougbare from Botogui, near Djibo, in the north. The Catholic Church has not yet confirmed reports that his body has since been found.

Several imams have also been killed in the north.

According to security sources, the jihadists do not consider these Muslim clerics sufficiently radical and sometimes accuse them of having collaborated with the authorities.

But religious leaders are not the only people targeted by the extremists. On Friday, jihadists attacked a village school in Maitaougou, in the eastern province of Koulpelogo, killing five teachers and a municipal worker.

Human Right Watch's Sahel director Corinne Dufka recently said that the surge in jihadist violence and a government crackdown had "forced tens of thousands of villagers to flee since early 2019.

"Scores of people have been murdered in what amounts to a dramatic deterioration in the rights situation in northern Burkina Faso," she said last month.

"Villagers are living in fear as both armed Islamists and government forces have demonstrated utter disregard for human life."

Around 4.3 million people have been driven from their homes in the worsening violence that has engulfed the entire Sahel region, including one million over the past year, according to UN humanitarian officials.</s>Suspected terrorists have killed a pastor and four churchgoers in northern Burkina Faso, a state-owned radio station reported on Monday.

The attack on a Protestant church occurred in the village of Silgadji in the northern province of Soum, said the broadcaster.

The motive behind the attack remained unclear on Monday, but Burkina Faso regularly suffers attacks from radical groups.

The attack took place days before German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is scheduled to visit Burkina Faso.

Merkel will arrive on Wednesday for a state visit in the capital, Ouagadougou.</s>Jihadis entered the church in the town of Silgadji near Djibo, located in the West African province of Soum and shot dead the six people towards the end of the Sunday service. Priest Pierre Ouedraogo was killed in the horror attack, as well as his two sons, BBC Africa reports. A church member said: “The attack happened around 1pm, just as the faithful were leaving the church at the end of the service.

“The attackers were on motorbikes. They fired in the air before aiming at the members of the congregation.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel is attending the stricken country later this week. Burkina Faso has seen a spike in killings by jihadists, though Sunday’s horrific shooting is the first instance a where an attack took place in a church in the small town.

Former colonial ruler France has responded by deploying 4,500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in an attempt to rid regions from jihadi groups. The G5 Sahel force, a transnational anti-jihadist military operation, was created by international nations to help he situation. Though a United Nations (UN) report revealed things have only got worse.

The report read that security had “deteriorated rapidly over the last six months” in the area between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. It also made reference to attacks spreading to eastern Burkina Faso. Attacks on churches as part of a worldwide crackdown on Christianity are becoming more common in other nations such as India, Pakistan and China.

Days ago, a Baptist pastor was charged for “illegal” missionary work as churches are being closed and fined following an arrest. A Baptist congregation in Verkhnebakansky, near the Black Sea coast, were shocked when law enforcement stormed in and interrupted a service commemorating Annunciation – a celebration of when the Virgin Mary was told by the angel Gabriel she would give birth to Jesus. Then a few days later, on April 9, the church’s 71-year-old pastor, Yury Korniyenko, was formally charged with carrying out “illegal” missionary work. In places such as China, worshipers have been arrested for refusing to remove crosses and other religious propaganda.
Six people are killed when terrorists storm a church in the Soum Province, Burkina Faso. The victims are the pastor, two of his sons and three other worshippers.