DHAKA: Armed rebels in northern Mali have taken about 30 civil servants hostage as the prime minister visited the area.

Several armed Tuareg rebels clashed with government soldiers in Kidal on Saturday and abducted the officials. Their whereabouts are unclear.

In 2012 a Tuareg rebellion in north Mali triggered a military coup.

Civilian rule was re-established in 2013, but Islamist and separatist forces remain active in parts of the north.

The civil servants had met prime minister Moussa Mara at the local governor’s office on Saturday afternoon.

The hostages are officials posted in the town by Mali’s government as a mark of sovereignty, the BBC reports.

BDST: 2036 HRS, MAY 18, 2014