Witnesses say Tuareg rebels have attacked a town in northern Mali, sparking a fight with government troops.

Tuesday's clashes occurred in the town of Menaka, where Tuareg nomads launched assaults in an effort to take control.

Witnesses say fighting continued until about midday when military reinforcements were brought in.

Hundreds of ethnic Tuaregs recently returned to northern Mali from Libya, where they fought alongside troops loyal to ousted leader Moammar Gadhafi.

The government has been holding talks in recent months in an effort to defuse rising tensions in the north. Tuareg rebels say the southern-based government has ignored Mali's impoverished northern desert region.

Tuareg nomads are present throughout the Sahel region of Africa. Both Mali and Niger have battled Tuareg uprisings in the last decade.