Credit: U.N. MINUSMA/Blagoje Grujic / U.N, peacekeepers on patrol in Kidal, Mali.

By Gary Raynaldo  DIPLOMATIC TIMES

Two United Nations peacekeepers from Sri Lanka were killed Friday when their convoy hit a land mine in the West African nation of Mali, the U.N. reported.  They were reportedly killed following an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack against a convoy near Douentza, in the Mopti region, central Mali.  The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, strongly condemned the attack which led to the deaths of two ‘blue helmets’ from Sri Lanka and injured six others. According to a U.N. spokesperson,  Guterres conveyed his “deep condolences to the Government of Sri Lanka, and the families of the victims”, and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

” These cowardly acts will not deter MINUSMA’s determination to support the people and Government of Mali in their pursuit of peace and stability.”

U.N. Secretary-General, António Guterres 

A peacekeeper from Burkina Faso was also injured in a separate IED attack against another convoy near the same area, on Thursday, the U.N. reported. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The deadly attack came less than a week after ten U.N. peacekeepers from Chad were killed in a suspected Islamist attack in northern Mali.  Ten  ‘blue helmets’ from the world body’s Stabilization Mission In Mali (MINUSMA) were killed Jan. 20, 2019 following a complex terrorist attack against the mission’s camp in Aguelhok, in the Kidal region, northern Mali.

Mission In West Africa Nation Mali The Most Dangerous In The World For UN Peacekeepers 

Credit: U.N. MINUSMA/ U.N. peacekeepers in Mali 

The terror threat in Mali continues unabated despite a massive deployment of French troops tasked with halting jihadist’s attacks. There have been 12 French soldiers confirmed killed since the start of Operation Barkhane, which was launched more than three years ago to quell jihadist activity in the former French colony of Mali and in neighbouring countries. At the same time, the more than 11,000-strong mission in the West Africa nation Mali has become the most dangerous in the world for UN peacekeepers, which are routinely attacked by Islamic militants, according to the UN. Last year,  5 UN peacekeepers were killed. There have been nearly 20 peacekeepers killed over the past year.  More than 125 blue helmets have been killed in the past six years.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was established by Security Council resolution 2100 of 25 April 2013 to support political processes in that country and carry out a number of security-related tasks. In 2012, Islamist radicals linked to al-Qaeda hijacked an uprising by ethnic Tuareg people and went on to seize cities across northern Mali, holding on for nearly a year until they were forced out by a French military intervention, according to the Washington Post. When the 11,000 U.N. troops arrived in 2013, they were meant to protect a fledgling peace deal and train the Malian army. But Islamist extremists regrouped across the region. It did not take long before the militants started targeting peacekeepers, whom they dubbed “Crusader occupation forces.”