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Dogon villages often follow a traditional way of life
The number of people killed in an attack on a village in central Mali has been increased to 35, against nearly 100, officials said.
Monday's attack took place in Sobame Da, inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group, in the Mopti region.
Officials initially reported that 95 people were found dead, many with burned bodies.
Now, the government says the initial number is the combined number of dead and missing.
There have been numerous attacks in Mali in recent months, some perpetrated by jihadist groups, others between Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders.
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Of the 35 dead, 24 children, said the government. Six people were arrested, officials said.
After the attack, the Minister of Justice announced the opening of an investigation and the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country has deployed a special investigation mission on human rights to help the authorities.
A local official close to the place where the attack occurred said that he thought it was Fulanis who descended into the Dogon village as part of a possible reprisal attack.
For the moment, the government has described the alleged perpetrators as terrorists.
What is the Dogon-Fulani conflict?
The Dogon people have lived in central Mali for centuries and follow a largely traditional way of life as settled peasants.
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On the other hand, many Peuls are semi-nomadic herders who travel long distances in West Africa.
Frictions between resource-strapped farmers and ranchers have been going on for a long time – but clashes between them have intensified since the militant Islamist uprising in northern Mali in 2012.
Both parties accuse the other of having perpetrated attacks in the midst of the unrest.
The Fulani, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, have been accused of having links with the Islamists. For their part, the Fulani accuse a Dogon self-defense badociation, Dan Na Ambbadagou, to take it to them.
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