A Tuareg leader says armed men on motorcycles have attacked a nomadic community near Mali's border with Niger, killing at least 12 civilians.
Moussa Ag Acharatoumane, secretary-general for the Tuareg self-defense group, said Wednesday the attack targeted men in the Iboghilitane community about 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of Menaka.
The violence risks setting off a new cycle of intercommunal clashes in the Menaka region where 100 civilians have already been killed this year.
Menaka governor Daouda Maiga says patrols have been sent to investigate. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Ag Acharatoumane said community residents include many members of the Islamic State organization.
He said the attack may have been in retaliation for one by extremists a few months ago on the Idarfane community.
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