MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Mali has been in crisis since a 2012 coup attempt as several insurgent groups, including Islamic extremists, have been fighting against the Malian government in an attempt to gain independence or greater autonomy for the country's northern region.
A UN mission has been present in the country along with French troops since 2013, to counter Islamist militants.
"Two vehicles of the Malian Armed Forces passed over an improvised explosive device, causing the death of five Malian soldiers and wounding four others between the Ansongo and Indelimane localities," the Public Relations Division of the Army (DIRPA) said in a Friday statement, as quoted by the Africanews channel.
