At least 16 killed in Burkina Faso army base attack

The attack took place early in the morning at Burkina Faso's Namissiguima military base in the province of Sanmatenga, Reuters reported.

The death toll was provisional and reinforcements were sent to secure the area, the statement added without providing detail on the assailants.

Terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIL have carried out numerous attacks in Burkina Faso and have been able to gain control of parts of Burkina Faso and Niger.

The violence has already killed thousands of people and forced more than 2 million to flee their homes in the Sahel region despite the presence of foreign troops and United Nations peacekeeping missions.

It was the fourth coup to rock West Africa in 18 months after two in Mali and one in Guinea.

MP/PR