13 civilians killed in jihadist attack in Mali

A jihadist attack on a village in central Mali has killed 13 civilians, local officials said.

A local politician said "terrorists" had killed at least 13 civilians and burned homes in the village of Kani-Bonzon, adding that the death toll could be as high as 20.

Jihadists "killed more than 13 civilians", torched buildings and took away three people, according to another local politician speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

"We ask the government and MINUSMA to come and help us," he said, referring to the UN peacekeeping mission that has supported the West African nation in the long-running fight against jihadist rebels.

Mali has been battling a security and political crisis since jihadist and separatist insurgencies broke out in the north of the country in 2012.

Jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have escalated their operations into central Mali and neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

Thousands of civilians, police and troops have been killed across the region, and more than two million have been forced to flee their homes.

In northern Burkina Faso, at least 70 soldiers and around a dozen civilian auxiliaries have been killed in less than a week in attacks blamed on jihadists.

Central Mali has been one of the hotspots for jihadist violence in the Sahel region since 2015 and the arrival of the Katiba Macina group, which has ties to Al-Qaeda.