Unknown gunmen have attacked an area torn by tribal strife in eastern Mali, killing at least 12 people, security source say.

Axar.az reports citing Press that the attack occurred in the remote Menaka region on Tuesday.

“Armed men on motorcycles killed at least 12 civilians,” a security source was quoted by AFP as saying.

“For now, we do not know exactly who did it. I don’t know if it was the result of a dispute between tribes or a terrorist act,” the source added.

A former rebel group said armed men had “executed 17 civilians" from two Tuareg camps.

Some 200 people from tribes known as Fulani and Tuareg have been killed in Menaka region this year.

France launched a military operation in Mali back in January 2013, after the region was hit by unrest between local tribes and militants.

The French military still maintains a significant military presence in the West African country.