Suspected jihadists kill 30 in central Mali, say local officials

Suspected jihadists killed at least 30 civilians in an attack on a passenger vehicle in central Mali's volatile Mopti, local officials said Saturday.

"The passengers were sprayed with bullets and the vehicle was torched," during an attack by "terrorists" near the town of Bandiagara on Friday, the officials told AFP.

"The state has sent security forces to the scene," they said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

An elected official in Bandiagara confirmed the death toll, saying the victims included women and children.

The attack has not been claimed by any of the numerous armed groups active in the West African country.

Mali has been struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that first erupted in the north in 2012 and has since claimed thousands of military and civilian lives.

Despite the presence of thousands of French and UN troops, the conflict has engulfed central Mali and spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Central Mali has become one of the most violent hotspots of the Sahel-wide conflict, where ethnic killings and attacks on government forces are frequent.

A military coup last year, brought about after mass protest against the ongoing violence, has failed to stem the bloodshed.