 Officials in Mali say more than 40 people have been killed by suspected jihadists in the north of the country. Militants on motorbikes attacked three villages, killing as many people as they could. In neighbouring Burkina Faso, at least 12 soldiers were killed in a suspected Islamist attack near the border in Mali. Security sources said they believed the attack was in revenge for the killing by the military of two senior jihadist leaders on Saturday. Jihadist violence is intensifying across the Sahel despite the presence of local, regional and international forces.