In an overnight raid on a village in northern Burkina Faso, armed assailants killed around 132 civilians, as the region faces a worsening wave of jihadist violence, the government said on Saturday. It was the country’s deadliest attack in recent years, as reflected in the provisional death toll given by the government.

The attackers struck during the night on Friday. They killed residents of the village of Solhan in Yagha province bordering Niger. The government said in a statement that they also burned homes and the market.

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The government declared a 72-hour period of national mourning. It described the attackers as terrorists but no group claimed responsibility.

Ever since the beginning of this year, attacks by jihadists linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State in West Africa’s Sahel region have risen sharply, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. In such attacks, the civilians are bearing the brunt.

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Burkina Faso’s violence has displaced more than 1.14 million people in just over two years.  The poor arid country is also hosting some 20,000 refugees from neighbouring Mali who are seeking safety from jihadists.

In coordinated raids on villages in southwestern Niger, attackers killed 137 people in March.

At least 30 people were killed by gunmen in eastern Burkina Faso near the border with Niger last month.

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Burkina Faso’s army is ill-equipped. It has been struggling to contain the spread of jihadists. The government enlisted the help of volunteer fighters last year to help the army. Those volunteers who joined have incurred retaliation by extremists who target them and the communities they help.

Burkina Faso’s neighbour, Mali is experiencing a political crisis, after the rise of the M5 movement that has led to the suspension of international support. France has said that it is ceasing joint military operations with Malian forces until the West African nation’s military junta complies with international demands to restore civilian rule.