Few venture in the normally busy streets of Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou Friday Sept. 30, 2022. Residents say gunfire rang out early in the morning and the state broadcaster has gone off the air, fueling fears that another coup is underway. The developments Friday come just after coup leader-turned-president Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba returned from a trip to the U.N. General Assembly. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia)
Burkina Faso is an epicenter of violence carried out by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Sophie Garcia/AP
CNN  — 

Around 170 people have been “executed” in attacks on three villages in Burkina Faso’s northern Yatenga province, the regional public prosecutor has said.

Aly Benjamin Coulibaly said in a statement on Friday that his office was initially informed of the “massive murderous attacks” in the villages of Komsilga, Nodin and Soroe on February 25.

The statement was re-posted to the country’s justice ministry’s Facebook page on Sunday.

Coulibaly said people were also injured, although no figure was given.

He appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

The statement did not mention which group was behind the attacks.

TOPSHOT - Niger's National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane (2nd R) is greeted by supporters upon his arrival at the Stade General Seyni Kountche in Niamey on August 6, 2023. Thousands of supporters of the military coup in Niger gathered at a Niamey stadium Sunday, when a deadline set by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS to return the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum to power is set to expire, according to AFP journalists. A delegation of members of the ruling National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) arrived at the 30,000-seat stadium to cheers from supporters, many of whom were drapped in Russian flags and portraits of CNSP leaders. (Photo by AFP) / "The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by - has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane] instead of [Colonel-Major Amadou Adramane]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require." (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
The three countries' self-appointed military leaders jointly announced they were abandoning the bloc after it pressured them to restore constitutional order following a string of coups.
AFP/Getty Images

Related article West Africa bloc urges Burkina, Niger and Mali not to withdraw

Meanwhile, authorities have yet to announce an official death toll from separate attacks on February 25 that targeted a mosque and a church in the north and east of the country.

At least 15 Muslims and 15 Catholics were killed when “hordes of terrorists launched simultaneous attacks” on Tankoualou and Essakane villages, the government press agency Agence d’Information du Burkina (AIB) reported last week.

The European Union condemned those attacks while expressing solidarity with the troubled nation.

The junta-led West African country is one of the world’s poorest nations and has become an epicenter of violence carried out by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

The violence began in neighboring Mali in 2012 but has since spread across the arid expanse of the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert.

Large areas of the north and east of Burkina Faso have become ungovernable since 2018. Millions have fled their homes, fearing further raids by gunmen who frequently descend on rural communities on motorbikes. Thousands have been killed.