Islamic State-linked militants have killed at least 48 people in Mali in apparent retaliation for an attack on suspected informants by pro-government forces including members of Russia's Africa Corps, two security sources and two local officials told Reuters.
The violence at the weekend in the eastern Menaka region comes amid intensifying combat between the regional Islamic State group and al Qaeda affiliates, compounding insecurity in West Africa's Sahel region.
The attacks by fighters from Islamic State Sahel Province took place in at least five localities in Menaka and the overall toll was still being determined on Tuesday, said the four sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from Mali's government.
They appeared to be in response to abuses allegedly carried out last week in the area by a pro-government militia known as MSA and Africa Corps, the Russian paramilitary group that backs Bamako, the sources said.
Homes Torched and Livestock Stolen
"The militiamen from MSA who accompanied (Mali's army) and Africa Corps committed abuses against civilians suspected of being informants for the Islamic State," a municipal official in Menaka said.
"They killed about a dozen people, set fire to houses, and stole other property."
During the retaliatory attacks on Sunday, ISSP set houses on fire and stole livestock, sending hundreds of civilians fleeing to Menaka town, said the four sources, who provided provisional death tolls ranging from 48 to more than 70.
Some of the civilians died in the fires and others were shot, the sources said.
ISSP has not claimed responsibility for the incident.
A Malian military spokesperson and Russia's embassy in Bamako did not respond to a request for comment.
Mali has previously denied killing civilians in counterinsurgency operations.
Clashes Intensify Between Rival Jihadist Groups
Mali has been battling insurgents since 2012 when Tuareg separatists and al Qaeda-linked militants first swept across the country's north, triggering a French military intervention.
The regional al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front staged nationwide attacks in April that killed the defence minister and hit the main airport in Bamako.
In recent weeks JNIM has been locked in fierce fighting with ISSP.
Last week, ISSP said it had killed 400 JNIM fighters after thwarting an attempted JNIM ambush in neighbouring Burkina Faso, which if confirmed would make it the deadliest single battle between the two groups.
ISSP and JNIM engaged in their first skirmishes in 2019 and have since clashed hundreds of times, resulting in more than 2,000 deaths, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, a conflict monitoring group.