“The Secretary-General stresses that there can be no justification for such acts of indiscriminate violence,” said his Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, in a statement.

Further to the statement, Guterres extended his heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Burkina Faso and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.”

Media reports suggest that gunmen killed nearly 20 people and wounded several others during an overnight attack on a restaurant in Burkina Faso's capital.

The Secretary-General reiterated the UN's support to Burkina Faso in its fight against violent extremism and terrorism.

“He also reaffirms the Organization's commitment to the countries of the G5 Sahel as they scale up efforts to tackle multiple security challenges in order to promote peace and development in the sub-region,” concluded the statement, referring to the so-called Group of Five (G5) countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – that have deployed a joint force to tackle the threat of terrorism, as well as the serious challenges posed by transnational organized crime in Africa's restive Sahel region.