Troops kill Mali mayor by accident

The authorities in Mali have said soldiers accidentally killed the mayor of a north-eastern town at a checkpoint.

Hamid Ahmed Ag Mohamed – the mayor of Andéraboukane – was being driven to an airstrip to board a UN flight when he was shot dead.

A military statement said his vehicle failed to stop as it approached the checkpoint. His predecessor was killed in a jihadist attack.

The mayor was a key player in the 2015 peace agreement between the government and northern rebel groups seeking autonomy.