At least twelve civilians, including nine army auxiliaries, were killed Sunday in an attack by suspected jihadists in east-central Burkina Faso, AFP learned Tuesday from local and security sources.

Burkina Faso, a country ruled by a military junta since September 2022, has been facing deadly offensives by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization for more than a decade across large parts of its territory.

A security source told AFP of a new "series of attacks carried out on Saturday and Sunday against (military) detachments and posts of volunteers for the defense of the homeland (VDP, civilian auxiliaries of the army) in several localities in the central-east, central-north and north-west".

One of these attacks was carried out by "numerous terrorists" on Sunday around 5:00 PM (GMT and local time) against the town of Dourtenga (east-central), a local official told AFP.

"Nine VDP members were killed in this attack, including their leader," the source emphasized, adding that "the terrorists also caused casualties among the local population: three people, including a woman."

"They caused damage in the village, ransacking several shops and setting fire to others," said a local resident, confirming the attack and the shooting that lasted "more than an hour."

"Calm has returned, but since yesterday (Monday), many people have been fleeing the village, fearing another terrorist attack," the resident continued.

In February, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), Al-Qaeda's Sahelian branch, claimed responsibility for several attacks that inflicted heavy losses on the Burkinabe army and the VDP (Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland), amid a resurgence of violence. More than 130 people were killed in about ten days, according to the NGO ACLED, which tracks victims of conflict worldwide.

Despite the increasing number of these attacks, the ruling military junta claims to have recaptured nearly three-quarters of the territory, following intensified military operations against jihadist groups, and resettled more than a million people who had fled jihadist violence in their home areas.

But according to many experts in the region, Burkina Faso is failing to stop the spiral of jihadist violence which has caused tens of thousands of civilian and military deaths since 2015, more than half of them in the last three years, according to Acled.