Lawmakers in Mali agreed to extend a 10-day state of emergency in the violence-wracked country by another eight months, ABC news reported.

In an extraordinary session of the National Assembly in Bamako, the 99 MPs present unanimously voted to maintain the state of emergency, a parliamentary source said. 

The extension will last until March 29, 2017.

The government had declared a state of emergency on July 21, a day after an attack at an army base in central Nampala left 17 soldiers dead and 35 wounded.

The state of emergency gives the security services greater powers and puts restrictions on public gatherings.

A previous state of emergency in place since April had only been lifted the week before.

Source : MENA