Burkina Faso death toll rises to 46

Cows graze in Kerio Valley in January 2017. /Stephen Rutto
Cows graze in Kerio Valley in January 2017. /Stephen Rutto

The Burkina Faso government says the number of people now known to have died during clashes this week in the central region has risen to 46.

The clashes began on Monday when suspected jihadists riding motorbikes attacked an ethnic Mossi farming community in the village of Yirgou, killing seven people, including the village chief.

The villagers then attacked Fulani herders in the area in apparent retaliation, killing 39 people.

Clashes between the two communities have increased in West Africa in recent years, exacerbated by jihadist militants.

Similar violence between herders and farmers in neighbouring Mali left 37 people dead on Tuesday.

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