Hundreds of Burkinabè imams condemn religious intolerance

More than 700 imams in Burkina Faso have condemned religious and ethnic intolerance in the country following a spate of violent social media posts urging "native" Burkinabè people to attack members of the Fulani community.

At a meeting of clerics in the capital, Ouagadougou, the head of the Federation of Islamic Associations of Burkina, Moussa Kouanda, warned that messages inciting religious and ethnic intolerance could spiral into civil war.

Jihadist attacks in the West African country have led to accusations against the 1.5 million-strong Fulani community.

The government has condemned the social media messages, saying the posts were direct calls for mass murder.