New Attack In Mali Kills At Least Three People

At least three people were killed when unknown attackers fired rockets at a UN base on the outskirts of the town of Kidal in northern Mali, international newswires reported.

The attack that took place before dawn on Sunday comes a day after assailants armed with machine guns and grenades attacked a nightclub in Mali's capital Bamako, killing five people.

The attacks highlight continued volatility in Mali two years after France helped retake territory from al-Qaeda-linked militants who in 2012 seized control of northern Mali in a bid to impose Shariah law in the country. Although the militants were largely expelled from the region, sporadic fighting there continues.

Reuters quoted security sources as saying a UN peacekeeper was among those killed and several were injured in Sunday's attack. 

The UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA, said in a statement more than 30 rockets and shells hit the UN base in Kidal.

"The rockets also hit Kidal citizens outside the camp, and two deaths and four wounded were counted," the statement read.

It was not immediately clear whether the two attacks were related.