At least 47 people, including 30 civilians and 14 soldiers, killed by rebels in Arbinda town, according to state media.

Rebel fighters have killed dozens of people in northern Burkina Faso, as violence spirals anew in West Africa’s Sahel region.

In an attack near the northern town of Arbinda on Wednesday, rebels killed at least 47 people, including 30 civilians, 14 soldiers and three pro-government militiamen, state media reported.

State media reported that government troops killed 16 rebels while a security source put the number at 58.

Fighters linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL regularly carry out attacks in Burkina Faso and neighbouring Mali and Niger, killing hundreds of civilians this year alone.

Violence in the Sahel, a semi-arid band beneath the Sahara Desert, has continued to intensify despite the presence of thousands of UN, regional and Western troops and efforts by some governments to negotiate with rebel groups.

Intense fighting is being reported in Ethiopia's Amhara state - the latest sign that the war that erupted in the Tigray region in November is spreading.

Federal forces as well as Amhara regional troops were involved in fighting Tigray rebels on three fronts, an Amhara official told the BBC. This is despite the government saying a unilateral ceasefire declared last month had not been suspended. All sides have accused each other of escalating the conflict.

The situation has intensified since the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels recaptured much of Tigray in a spectacular offensive against the national army in June.