Clashes pitting Malian armed groups in defiance of a peace deal have left at least a dozen fighters dead in the north of the country, sources on both sides of the violence said Saturday. The fighting on Friday pit members of the pro-government group GATIA, the Imghad and Allies Tuareg Self-Defence Group, against ex-rebels from the Co-ordination of Azawad Movements (CMA).
The clashes took place in Intachdayte, some 85 kilometres (50 miles) north-east of the restive town of Kidal, sources from the two sides and a foreign security source said.
"We have lost six men and another is missing," CMA spokesman Almou Ag Mohamed told AFP.
"We seized a significant amount of military gear including 10 vehicles. Fifteen people were killed" in an attack on a group that is loyal to the CMA, GATIA fighter Mohamed Ag Telouf said.
In a statement published on Saturday, the CMA confirmed the clash erupted after an attack Friday by GATIA members, branding it "the umpteenth ceasefire violation" by pro-government groups.
It warned it "cannot remain indifferent to these attacks by militias that benefit from the Malian national army's equipment and logistics."
A foreign security source in northern Mali told AFP on condition of anonymity that "the situation was tense in the Kidal region on Saturday. The (armed) groups have their finger on the trigger and the UN is doing all it can to restore calm". The fighting was the latest round of violence to occur since deadly clashes erupted in August for control of Kidal, a bastion of the former rebellion.