Explosion in central Mali kills 7 UN peacekeepers

Africa, News December 9, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

The United Nations peacekeeping vehicle was bombed by an improvised explosive device in central Mali on December 8, killing 7 UN peacekeepers and seriously injuring three soldiers.

The attack resulted in the death of seven UN peacekeepers from Togo and one contractor from Mali. The members of the targeted soldiers from Togo belonged to the contingent of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). At the time of the attack, a logistic convoy was patrolling near the Bandiagara area of the Mopti region.

Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General released a statement condemning “this heinous attack.” “The UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemns today’s attack against a logistics convoy of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in the region of Bandiagara, in central Mali, during which seven Togolese peacekeepers lost their lives and three were seriously injured by an improvised explosive device,” the statement read.

“The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations continued support to, and solidarity with, the people and Government of Mali, including through enhancing the capacity of MINUSMA to protect civilians in central Mali and supporting a Government-led strategy to stabilize that region,” the UN statement added.

“He [the Secretary-General] calls on the Malian authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of these attacks so that they can be swiftly brought to justice,” Dujarric said.

The UN Secretary-General spokesperson also confirmed that a peacekeeper from Egypt, who was injured in an attack in northern Mali on December 6, died in the hospital.

In another statement, El-Ghassim Wane, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Mali, condemned this “cowardly attack” and emphasized that under international law, it may constitute a war crime. “This tragedy adds to the gruesome tally of attacks on peacekeepers in Mali,” Wane said.

Since 2012, Mali has been at the center of a jihadist insurgency, which sometimes spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and forced millions to flee their homes. Organizations associated with the Islamic terrorist groups, Al Qaeda and the Islamic State operate in the region, however, no organization claimed responsibility for this attack.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, has more than 87,000 peacekeepers from more than 120 nations currently serving in 12 missions around the world, of which about 16,600 are stationed in Mali. Since 2013, the United Nations has recorded more than 230 deaths of its troops, making this region the deadliest of all UN peacekeeping missions.