Al-Qaeda's branch in Mali, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), says it was behind a roadside blast on Saturday that killed two French soldiers in the eastern Menaka region.

The message was shared by the group's supporters on the messaging app Telegram.

Two French soldiers died in Mali when their armoured vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.

The two were in Menaka collecting intelligence, the French presidency said.

It came days after three other French soldiers died in a similar way.

France has 5,100 troops in the Sahel region which has been a front line in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.