“The fighting resumed mainly in Ansongo [Gao region] And other districts… there have been many deaths, many deaths,” said Bazan Ag Hamtou, a former lawmaker who is now a member of the transitional council formed after the military seized power in a 2020 coup.
Hamatou said on Thursday that at least 100 people had been killed, including 40 killed in Ansongo two days earlier.
Menaka’s mayor, Nanaut Kotia, confirmed by telephone that fighting had resumed, but did not give a death toll.
Fahd Ag Almahmoud, head of the pro-government militia, said on Twitter that 200 to 300 civilians had been murdered on 4 December.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the accounts or figures of the fight.