The Malian army says jihadists killed five Malian soldiers in an ambush in central Mali on Sunday.

It says a military patrol "vigorously reacted to an ambush by an unidentified armed terrorist group" at midday in the Macina Circle, adding that three attackers were killed.

According to the army, five Malian military vehicles were burned and three of the attackers' vehicles were also destroyed.

Earlier, the UN Mission in Mali (Minusma) announced that three of its peacekeepers were wounded on Saturday by an explosive device near its camp in Kidal, in the northeast of the country.

Since the start of jihadist rebellion in the north in 2012, Mali has been plunged into turmoil that has left thousands dead, many of them civilians, despite the support of the international community and the intervention of UN, French and African forces.