The Malian army announced that it had taken control, following clashes with militants, of a military base in the north of the country after it was evacuated before the scheduled date on Sunday by the United Nations Mission (MINUSMA) due to "security reasons".

On Sunday, MINUSMA said its forces were attacked twice as it mounted a hasty operation to pull from the town of Ber in the country's north.

"The MINUSMA convoy that withdrew from Ber today was attacked twice. 3 wounded peacekeepers were evacuated to Timbuktu for medical attention," the mission said on social media.

The attack came just hours after MINUSMA announced that it would expedite the withdrawal of UN troops from the Western African country citing a worsening security situation.

"The MINUSMA has expedited its withdrawal from Ber due to the deteriorating security situation in the area and the high risks posed to our Blue Helmets," it said.

The UN mission urged all parties concerned to refrain from any actions that could complicate the operation, warning that an assault on its troops "may constitute war crimes under international law."

On Saturday, Mali reported that six soldiers were killed as a result of an attack waged by militants in the town of Ber.

According to the Malian army, troops were on their way to Ber as part of a handover mission while MINUSMA forces were readying to leave the country.

Mali has been facing insurgencies since 2012 and has witnessed two military coups since 2020.

The MINUSMA mission, which had some 11,600 troops and 1,500 police officers in the country, began in 2013 insurgencies broke out in northern Mali the previous year.

Colonels angry at the government's handling of the long-running insurgency seized power in August 2020 and then carried out another coup in May the following year.

The UN Security Council voted in June to end a decade-old UN force mission in Mali after the ruling junta demanded the withdrawal of foreign forces.