The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has offered to help to investigate massacre of more than 130 civilians in the central Malian region of Bandiagara.

MINUSMA offered to help to identify the perpetrators.

In a statement published late on Monday, MINUSMA condemned the attacks over the weekend.

It described it as a heinous act, which constituted serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

A team from the mission in Mopti visited the crime scenes with local authorities on Monday.

The team was also offering help with care and evacuation of the injured.

The government of the Sahel state put the total number of victims at 132 civilians.

Several villages were attacked on Saturday and Sunday.

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The government in Bamako blamed fighters from an Islamist militia linked to the terrorist organisation al-Qaeda for the attacks.

According to the UN, the militia is also responsible for dozens of attacks and ambushes targeting Malian soldiers.

Islamist terrorist groups have been troubling the crisis-ridden state for years.

Mali, with about 20 million inhabitants, has experienced three military coups since 2012 and is considered to be extremely unstable politically.

Since the most recent coup in May, the country has been led by a transitional military government.

The military junta has promised elections by the end of March 2024.

Germany’s Bundeswehr is still present in Mali as part of MINUSMA. (dpa/NAN)