About 138 innocent persons were reportedly attacked and killed in Burkina Faso by a group of young boys.

The attack which was said to have taken place in early June, in the northeastern village of Solhan was mostly perpetrated by children between the ages of 12 and 14, Ousseni Tamboura, the government spokesman told reporters..

According to the Washington Post, the attack is one of the deadliest in years in the West African country, which has struggled to exterminate multiple insurgent groups, including those linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

“We are alarmed by the presence of children within armed groups,” Sandra Lattouf, UNICEF’s Burkina Faso representative, said in a statement to the Post.

“While living among armed actors, children experience unconscionable forms of violence including physical and sexual violence or high level of traumatic experiences.”

The crisis in Burkina Faso has killed hundreds of people and displaced more than 1.2 million, 61 per cent of whom are children, according to UNICEF.

One in 10 schools have closed, which has impacted over 300,000 children.