36 Dead, 30 Hostages in Mali Clashes, PM Says 'at War with Terrorists'

Mali's Prime Minister Moussa Mara said Sunday the country was "at war" against terrorists in the rebel-controlled northern city of Kidal after clashes between separatist militants and the Malian army left 36 dead.

"The terrorists have declared war on Mali, so Mali is at war against these terrorists. We will mobilize the resources to fight this war," Mara told Agence France Presse by telephone.

Earlier on Sunday, the government said weekend fighting between regular soldiers and Tuareg rebels in the northern city of Kidal has claimed at least 36 lives, while almost as many civil servants have been taken hostage.

The fighting broke out on Saturday outside the regional governor's offices as PM Mara was visiting Kidal as part of his first tour of the country's restive northern desert.

"Eight members of the armed forces were killed and 25 were wounded while 28 of the attackers were killed," the defense ministry said in a statement, adding that around 30 civil servants were being held hostage.

Kidal, 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, was the scene of anti-government protests by several hundred youths and women on Friday and Saturday who demonstrated at the regional airport. 

Mara's predecessor Oumar Tatam Ly was forced to cancel a trip in November to Kidal, the stronghold of Mali's Tuareg separatist movement, after protesters occupied a runway at the airport.