At least 15 civilians including children were killed Sunday by drone strikes in Mali's north, where the army and its Russian allies are fighting separatists and jihadists, local sources said.

The separatists blamed "the army of the Malian junta and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group" for the strikes at Tinzaouatene, near Algeria, giving a provisional death toll of 21 civilians, including 11 children.

"These initially targeted a pharmacy, then other strikes followed, targeting human gatherings near the first damage," said spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane.

A local politician told AFP at least 15 civilians were killed in the strikes.

Meanwhile, a local NGO official said "at least 20 civilians including children" had been killed in the drone strikes on Sunday, and a retired local official told AFP at least 20 people were left dead.

After an eight-year lull, hostilities between Bamako and separatists fighting for an independent homeland resumed in August 2023.

The West African nation's military leaders who seized power in a 2020 coup have made it a priority to retake all of the country from separatists and jihadist forces linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Under Colonel Assimi Goita, the junta broke off its traditional alliance with former colonial ruler France, turning towards Russia instead.

This led to troops from the Wagner mercenary group being deployed to the country, though the junta insisted they were only there as "instructors".

In late July, Tuareg-led separatists claimed to have killed 84 Wagner fighters and 47 Malian soldiers after three days of intense fighting on the outskirts of Tinzaouatene.

The Malian army and Wagner acknowledged significant losses without giving a precise toll.