At least 33 people were killed and several dozen injured after an explosives-laden vehicle targeted a camp housing armed groups in northern Mali, a local official said Wednesday.

The morning blast hit the Joint Operational Mechanism base in the city of Gao. The base houses hundreds of fighters including members of armed groups that signed Mali's 2015 peace agreement. The camp also houses Malian soldiers.

Witnesses said the car bearing explosives breached the camp at around 9 a.m., just as hundreds of fighters were gathering for a meeting.

Northern Mali remains insecure despite a French-led military intervention launched in 2013 to drive out Islamic extremists that had taken over the area.

Read more: ABC News