The military in Burkina Faso on Saturday reported that unidentified gunmen killed six people and wounded two others in an attack on a convoy from the Boungou gold mine in eastern parts of the country.

Last week, five vehicles were dispatched from the mine, which is owned by Toronto-listed Endeavour Mining , to help a nearby convoy that had been stuck in the mud for days, the army statement said.

The attack occurred after the convoy was back on the road again. The assailants targeted the five support vehicles when they become separated from the convoy and its security detail.

The attack underscores the dangers of operating in Burkina Faso, where since 2018 Islamist militants affiliated with Islamic State and al Qaeda have taken over large areas of the north and east, killing thousands and displacing over a million.

Thirty-nine people were killed in an ambush on buses filled with workers heading to the Boungou mine in 2019. Back then, the mine was owned by Quebec-based Semafo, which was acquired by Endeavour in 2020.

(With input from Reuters)