At least 12 civilian died and six were injured in an attack by suspected jihadists in northwestern Burkina Faso, near the border with Mali, locals told AFP on Sunday.

"Several dozen men on motorbikes attacked the village of Sanakadougou" in Kossi province overnight Thursday and Friday, a resident told AFP, requesting anonymity.

"Almost the entire village was burnt down," one witness said, adding that locals had started leaving the area from Friday.

"(Villagers) could not take anything because the attackers set fire to everything or looted and carried away the rare goods and livestock," he added.

There were also reports of another attack by armed groups on the neighbouring town of Yaran on Sunday morning.

Deadly ambushes attributed to jihadists have multiplied in recent weeks in Burkina.

This week, about 40 people, civilians or soldiers, died in various attacks while the previous week 50 were killed in several jihadist raids.