26 people were killed in Central Mali after an attack on a village in the latest violence to hit the country, officials said on Saturday.
A Fulani village named Binedama in Mopti region was the target of Friday’s attack, according to Aly Barry, an official from Tabital Pulaaku, a Fulani association in Mali.
The West African nation has been struggling to end a jihadist revolt that first broke out in the north in 2012 before moving to the center as well as neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
The pastoralist Fulani are often accused of associating with jihadists, a perception that has led to massacres between them and other ethnic groups seeking vengeance.
The violence has seen thousands of soldiers and civilians killed, while many more have been forced to flee their homes.
According to a local government official, the attack on Binedama happened on Friday afternoon leaving two women and a nine year old girl dead.
The region has also seen several massacres recently, including a militant attack on rural villages which left 12 people dead in April.
