<span style="color: #222222;">In west Africa country Mali, 40 people including nine soldiers were killed after an attack at Ogossagou, a village in the central Mopti region yesterday. Confirming the incident Government said, Mopti is the region where 160 people died in March last year in the country's worst-ever civilian massacre.<br />''<br />''In a statement, the Malian Government said, armed men, burned homes and looted livestock in the village of Ogossagou, a village of Fulani herders during the attack. It described the incident as inter-ethnic violence.<br />''<br />''Mayor of the nearby town of Bankass Moulaye Guindo told media that Ogossagou was attacked less than 24 hours after Malian troops, who had been stationed near Ogossagou, left their base.<br />''<br />''An Army Spokesman said, soldiers had been deployed to respond to the attack but declined to comment on whether they had previously left the local base. The United Nations mission in Mali said, it has sent a quick reaction force to the village where several were also wounded.<br />'' <br />''According to Human Rights Watch, more than 450 civilians were killed in central Mali last year by armed groups, making it the deadliest year in the region since the country's crisis began in 2012.<br />''<br />''Ethnic clashes have been continuing and exploited by armed groups allied to al-Qaeda and ISIS who have been recruiting men from the Peuhl or Fulani ethnic group to their cause.</span>