At least 110 people have been killed in an armed attack on two villages inhabited by the Fulani tribes in central Mali, in what has been described as the deadliest attack in this troubled region.
A mayor of central Mali told Reuters authorities were finding more bodies following an attack by gunmen on herders in the central villages of Ougusago and Wellingara.
According to reports, the attack was carried out by gunmen dressed in traditional Donzu uniforms, the bloodiest attack in central Mali, where violence between different nationalities killed hundreds of civilians last year, security sources said among the dead were pregnant women, children and elderly.
The attack appeared to be in retaliation for a pro-al-Qaeda movement claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 23 soldiers on Friday, Reuters quoted a resident of the village as saying.
The Fulani tribes accuse the Donzo tribes of supporting the Malian army in its anti-Fulani operations on the pretext of combating extremism, while the Donzo says that Fulani supports militants linked to terrorist groups in the north and abroad.
The country has suffered a political and security crisis and tribal fighting for nearly seven years. French forces intervened in 2013 to counter Islamist Islamist movements that have taken control of large areas.