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“The Secretary-General urges coordinated global support to tackle rising extremism in the Sahel and address urgent humanitarian needs,” Dujarric said.

The ambush occurred in the Banibangou district, a region where fighters from Islamic State in the Sahel and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims are said to operate.

Mali has faced serious security problems since 2012 from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and IS and local criminal gangs. The Malian army hasn't officially commented yet

Such attacks are becoming increasingly frequent in central Mali as the country’s military junta also struggles to contain violence in the northern region.

The deadly attacks come as the U.N. prepares to withdraw its 17,000-member peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, from Mali at the government's request.

The two separate attacks targeted the Timbuktu boat on the Niger river and an army position at Bamba, in the northern Gao region with "a provisional toll of 49 civilians and 15 soldiers killed.