Militants massacre 31 civilians and kill UN worker in Mali

The Sahel region of northern Africa has seen persistent instability despite an international stabilisation mission

Malian soldiers and members of the new Takuba force on patrol near the Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali, on August 23. Reuters

Militants killed at least 31 people in central Mali on Friday when they fired on a bus ferrying people to a local market, local authorities say.

It's the latest deadly attack in a region racked by violent insurgency.

The bus was targeted by unidentified gunmen as it travelled its twice-weekly route from the village of Songho to a market in Bandiagara, 10 kilometres away, said Moulaye Guindo, mayor of the nearby town of Bankass.

A Eurocopter Tiger at the French Military base in Gao in November 2019. Thirteen soldiers were killed after two helicopters collided during an operation. AFP

France has more than 4,500 troops in Africa's Sahel region. AP Photo

The helicopter crash was the deadliest attack since the French intervention began in 2013. AFP

In total, 38 French soldiers have been killed in the region. AFP

A French soldier secure a perimeter during a break in the military convoy's trip between Gossi and Hombori in March. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron visits soldiers of Operation Barkhane in Gao in 2017. He expressed his 'deep sadness' at the news. AP

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that terrorist groups have strengthened their foothold across the Sahel. Reuters

A French gunner sits in a Puma helicopter flying near Tessalit in 2013. AFP

French soldiers of France's Barkhane are pictured next to a Eurocopter Tiger helicopter during the 2017 visit of the French President in Gao. AFP

France's Barkhane mission in central Mali in 2017. AFP

"Armed men ... shot at the vehicle, slashed the tires, and shot at the people," Mr Guindo said.

He and another local official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said at least 31 were dead with many more wounded or missing.

The villages sit in the heart of the Mopti region, an epicentre of violence in Mali fuelled by insurgents linked to Al Qaeda and ISIS.

An internal security memo, shared by a source, said first responders at the scene of the latest attack discovered 25 burned bodies in the truck.

Images on social media showed the smouldering frame of a passenger bus filled with bodies, still slumped over in their seats. Reuters could not independently verify their authenticity.

Jihadist attacks have surged across Africa's Sahel region, killing thousands and displacing millions across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The UN mission Minusma has deployed about 13,000 troops to try to contain the violence, while France is in the process of drawing down a counterinsurgency force, from around 5,000 troops to around 3,000, supported by a mix of European Special Forces and focused on training the Malian army.

Minusma has recorded more than 250 fatalities since it started in 2013, making it the most dangerous UN peacekeeping mission in the world.

Unidentified armed men attacked a convoy belonging to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali on Friday, killing one civilian worker and wounding another, the mission said.

The convoy was travelling from the northern city of Kidal to Gao and came under fire about 100km (62 miles) northeast of the town of Bourem, the mission said.

Armed attacks by Islamist militants and other groups are common across vast swathes of Mali, despite a heavy presence of international troops.