The Malian army, which had retaken control of Soloko, had "fallen back" to the neighbouring area of Diabaly and jihadists had returned to the village, a local teacher told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Sunday attack on the Soloko camp claimed by the Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) -- an umbrella group of Al-Qaeda affiliates -- killed 20 Malian security forces and wounded five, according to authorities.

"The jihadists... have raised their flag in the gendarmes' camp," said Hamed Drame, president of the Soloko youth association.

"There is a threat over the whole town. We have alerted the authorities but until now there has been no reaction from them."

Sokolo is the last town before the Mauritanian border, near a forest considered a base for groups linked to Al-Qaeda.

Despite aid from French and UN forces, Mali is struggling to quell unrest that began in 2012 in the north of the country before spreading to its centre, as well as neighbouring Sahel states Burkina Faso and Niger.