Gunmen killed at least five people near Mali's troubled northeastern border with Niger, several sources said Thursday. A vehicle travelling from Indelimane to a market in Menaka on Wednesday "was attacked by armed men", a local elected official told AFP on the condition of anonymity. Five civilian passengers were killed by "assassins who then went to a camp to kill other Tuareg civilians", he added. Other sources reported a higher toll.
The attack was confirmed by a Malian security source who said that "criminals murdered six civilians on Wednesday between Indelimane and Menaka", and reports on the Facebook page for the pro-government group GATIA said "armed bandits" attacked a vehicle. GATIA - the French acronym for the Imghad and Allies Tuareg Self-Defence Force - said "six civilians were summarily executed", then "two other civilians were killed in a camp near the scene of the attack".