No group has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, but the blame quickly fell on JNIM, an extremist group linked to al-Qaida that often targets villagers in the region in a similar manner, including in July when rebels attacked a wedding ceremony and killed at least 21 people.

The armed violence across central and northern Mali has raged on for more than a decade. Extremist rebels who were once forced from power in northern cities with the help of recently expelled French troops have regrouped and launched attacks on remote villages and security forces.

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A 2015 peace deal with ethnic Tuareg rebels active in the north has also collapsed, deepening the security crisis.

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