Armed attackers killed four worshippers and a pastor in the first attack by armed groups on a church in Burkina Faso, security and local sources said on Monday.
The attack took place on Sunday in the small northern town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province, and two others were reported missing.
“Unidentified armed individuals have attacked the Protestant church in Silgadji, killing four members of the congregation and the main pastor,” a security source told the AFP news agency.
“At least two other people are missing,” the source added.
It was the first attack on a church since sectarian violence erupted in the West African nation. Muslim leaders and imams have also come under attack.
“The attack happened around 1pm (13:00 GMT), 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 groups, including the Ansarul Islam group, the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and those with links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS).
The attacks started in the north of the country before targeting the capital Ouagadougou and other regions, notably the east of the country.
The United Nations says Burkina Faso is facing a full-blown humanitarian crisis, with almost a million people in need of urgent help.
Intercommunal violence and attacks by armed groups have forced tens of thousands from their homes in the past few months.
In February, a Spanish priest, Father Cesar Fernandez, was killed in a raid attributed to armed groups in Nohao in the centre of the country.
In January, a Canadian national was kidnapped and killed after being abducted from a gold mine by armed fighters.