A government source and a security source reported ten persons were killed and four others were missing in an incident in northern Burkina Faso on Monday morning.

Unidentified armed men attacked a group of residents as they drove their carts to market in Markoye, Burkina Faso’s Sahel reserve, according to sources.

Despite the presence of a regional counter-terrorism group and French troops, the territory, which borders Mali and Niger, is occupied by Islamist militants who carry out frequent attacks.

Burkina Faso on Monday marked the 61st anniversary of its army with a ceremony focused on the fight against terrorism.

“We will get through it together, or not at all,” said President Roch Kabore in remarks to journalists.

Islamist attacks have surged across Africa’s Sahel region, killing thousands and driving millions from their homes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. More than 1.3 million Burkinabe have been displaced by the violence in the last two years, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Five police officers were killed on Sunday in another attack in the north of the country, and about 15 attackers were killed in the ensuing fight, the security ministry said.

The state news agency also reported that two women and a baby were killed on Sunday when their cart hit an improvised land mine in the department of Ouindigui.