Six patients died in Songo village in central Mali that has been besieged by armed men for a month, the mayor of Diabaly in central Mali has said.
The armed men have been stopping people from entering or leaving the village since the beginning of July.
The patients needed critical care outside the village but the residents feared the armed men.
Anyone who attempts to leave the besieged village is killed by the men.
Local media reports that local authorities informed the federal authorities of the need to evacuate the sick patients but nothing was done.
The villagers are running out of cereals and oil as no one is allowed to deliver foodstuff to the area.
Diabaly town has in the past been a battleground as militants clashed with government troops.
Source: BBC
