Nine Mali soldiers killed in central region

The authorities in Mali say nine of its soldiers were killed when a vehicle triggered a land mine in the Mopti region in the centre of the country.

The military says the troops were part of the G5-Sahel force which is fighting Islamist militants in the region.

The regional force is also made up of soldiers from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger but correspondents say it has struggled to get enough funding and has been criticised for a lack of coordination between the member states.

Last year jihadists attacked the force’s main base in the Malian town of Sévaré.

source: BBC