Gunmen in Mali killed about 20 civilians in attacks on villages near the northern town of Gao, while a UN peacekeeper was killed by a landmine in the restive region.
"The criminal terrorists killed at least 20 civilians in several small villages in the town of Anchawadj, a few dozen kilometers north of Gao," a senior police officer told AFP.
A local official blamed the attacks on jihadists and put the death toll at 24, saying the killings took place in Ebak, 35 km north of Gao.
The official, in Gao the main town in the region, described the situation as a "general panic" in the area.
He added that the situation in Anchawadj was "very concerning" and that civilians were fleeing the area for fear of further violence.
In the same vein, a mine killed a United Nations peacekeeper on Sunday while he was on patrol in the north, in Kidal, the commander of the UN MINUSMA force in Mali tweeted.
A MINUSMA official told AFP, that the dead peacekeeper was part of the Guinean unit.
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