Attack on villagers working in the fields. (Symbolic)

At least 26 people were killed in an attack by an armed group on a village in central Mali, near the border with Burkina Faso, a government official said on Monday, the latest violent attack in the conflict-hit region. Moulaye Guindo, mayor of the town of Bankas, where Dembo is located, said the attackers attacked villagers working in their fields in the village of Dembo on Sunday evening.

Such attacks are becoming more frequent in central Mali as the country's military regime is also struggling to stop violence in the northern region. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Al-Qaeda-linked extremist group

However, the blame fell on JNIM, an al-Qaeda-linked extremist group that has often targeted villagers in the region in similar fashion, including in July, when insurgents attacked a wedding ceremony and killed at least 21 people.

Violence continues for a decade

Armed violence in central and northern Mali has been raging for more than a decade. Extremist rebels who were recently forced from power in northern cities with the help of expelled French troops have regrouped and launched attacks on remote villages and security forces. A 2015 peace deal with ethnic Tuareg rebels active in the north has also collapsed, deepening the security crisis.