More than 400 soldiers have reportedly been killed by insurgents since the start of May in bases and towns in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, an unstable region prone to coups.

The jihadist group, Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin said in a statement on Sunday that it had seized the base in Boulkessi in central Mali, near the border with Burkina Faso.

The Malian army said it had been forced to pull back.

"Many men fought, some until their last breath, to defend the Malian nation," its statement said, without giving any casualty numbers.

A Spokesperson did not respond to a question about the toll, but two security sources said more than 30 soldiers had been killed.

A municipal source at Mondoro, near the base, said the insurgents "cleared the camp" and that there were many dead.

Videos shared online showed dozens of insurgents overrunning the base.

One showed militants stepping on the bodies of soldiers who had fallen between sandbags. Reuters could not immediately authenticate the videos.

--Reuters--