DAKAR, Senegal 

Hundreds of residents have been displaced by recent terror attacks in northern Mali near the border with Niger that have left dozens of civilians dead. 

A total of 386 families fled to neighboring districts while others took shelter in Niger following the attacks that target areas in the north, authorities said in a statement.

More than 50 people were killed late Sunday when armed assailants launched simultaneous attacks on four villages in Ouatagouna.

The country declared three days of national mourning, while the Malian army launched an operation to neutralize those responsible.

Mali has been battling an insurgency linked to al-Qaeda and the Daesh terror group since 2012 when unrest started in the north of the West African country.

The violence, which has killed thousands of civilians and troops, has spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz