UNICEF says children and adolescents made up the bulk of an armed group in Burkina Faso that killed at least 160 people in an attack earlier this month.
The UN agency had quoted a government spokesperson.
The raid on the village of Solhan in the north of the country was the deadliest incident in years in an area plagued by jihadist violence.
UN Secretary General, António Guterres had strongly condemned the heinous attack and said the incident underscores the urgent need for the international community to redouble support to member states in the fight against violent extremism and its unacceptable human toll.
A total of 160 bodies were recovered from what local officials in Solhan described as three mass graves, AFP news agency had reported.
At the time the Burkinabè President Roch Kaboré declared three days of national mourning, writing in a tweet that “we must stand united against the forces of evil”.
Unicef has strongly condemned the recruitment of children and adolescents.
“This is a grave violation of their fundamental rights. We recall that civilian populations should never be victims or targets of attacks. Families and children should be protected everywhere and at all times”, said Unicef representative in Burkina Faso Sandra Lattouf.
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