Soldiers have so far recovered 79 bodies after an attack on Saturday night in the northern province of Seno. It was the deadliest attack in at least a year in the West African country, which is battling an insurgency by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. 

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

“UNHCR is alarmed at the recent escalation of violence against civilians by armed groups in Burkina Faso that has forced thousands to flee, placing humanitarian resources under strain as insecurity continues to plague the central Sahel,” spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters.

He said that since June 12, thousands of mostly women and children have arrived in the town of Dori in eastern Burkina Faso, after fleeing the attack.

(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Mark Heinrich)