Credit: MINUSMA/Sylvain Liecht  / UN peacekeepers from Chad patrol the streets of Kidal in Mali, December 2016.

By Gary Raynaldo  /   DIPLOMATIC TIMES

UNITED NATIONS –  NEW YORK –  A  UN blue helmet peacekeeper from Chad was killed Sunday and three others were seriously wounded when their convoy hit an improvised explosive device in Aguelhok, located in Kidal region in Northern Mali. Earlier that day, unidentified assailants attacked a MINUSMA temporary operating base in Bandiagara in Mopti, a region in central Mali, which left a peacekeeper from Togo seriously injured.  UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attacks against the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). 

“The Secretary-General calls on the Malian authorities, as well as the signatory armed groups to the peace agreement, to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of these attacks so that they can be swiftly brought to justice. He recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. The Secretary-General reaffirms the United Nations commitment to support the Government and people of Mali in their pursuit of peace and stability in the country.”

-Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Meanwhile, around 20 dead in Burkina Faso as jihadist violence spreads across region.

UN  MINUSMA Peacekeeping Mission in Mali Is The  Deadliest In The World 

Credit:  Photo: MINUSMA/Gema Cortes /  Les Casques Bleus Sénégalais from UN MINUSMA peacekeeping operation in the center of West Africa nation Mali. 

Just last week, terrorists attacks on military camps in central Mali left at least 25 soldiers dead and  many missing.  The deadly terror attacks continue to take place right after the UN hosted a high-level meeting on Mali and the Sahel on the margins of the  annual General Assemble debate at world headquarters in New York September 25. Terror and violent attacks linked to militant Islamic groups in the Africa SAHEL  region have increased dramatically during the past few years. Since 2013, when MINUSMA deployed,   more than 200 peacekeepers have died in Mali, including close to  120 killed during hostilities.   The deadly violence has spiraled out of control this year, in particular, despite the presence of thousands of UN and international peacekeeping troops in Mali,  and across the Sahel region.

African Ambassadors Call For More Action To End Terror Attacks in SAHEL

Credit:  By Gary Raynaldo  /  Ambassador of Niger to the United States Abdallah Wafy (left),  Ambassador  of Mauritania  to the U.S.  Ba  Samba  Mamadou,  and  Second Adviser of the Embassy of Mali in the U.S. Ibrahima  Biridogo , participate in the  Africa Center for Strategic Studies  roundtable, “Strategies for Peace and Security in the Sahel” at National Defense University in Washington D.C. Sept. 9, 2019.

United Nations Cannot Deal With Terrorist Threat: Ambassador of NIGER  to U.S. 

“Ten years ago, there were no foreign troops in Mali. Now there are many.  (UN) MINUSMA costs $1 Billion per year. After six years and $6 Billion,  we still have the problem of terrorism. Also France spends $700 million per  year for its Operation Barkhane. But the situation (in Sahel) is deteriorating. The region is still a sanctuary for terrorists.  We should divert these funds to those who are able to do the job. The UN can not deal with a terrorist threat.  MINUSMA is a peacekeeping operation. MINUSMA is not designed to fight terrorists. We are going to address this issue at the UN Security Council next year. As of January 2020, Niger will be on the UN Security Council.”

-Ambassador of Niger to the United States Abdallah Wafy

Some critics of UN MINUSMA contend that some of the $1 Billion annual budget should be allocated to ECOWAS and/or the G5 Sahel Joint Force, as well as other African-based military operations to be more effective in fighting the terror threat and keeping the peace. They note that since MINUSMA is a peacekeeping mission and not a military operation, it is unable to effectively counter/contain the terrorist threat in Mali-African Sahel.

“I don’t think it’s an either/or proposition. The peacekeeping mission has a mandate given to it by the Security Council.  Our colleagues have been suffering disproportionate losses.  We see it all too often.  Our Chadian contingent has really borne the brunt of the killings and the injuries to peacekeepers.  The Malian authorities, all the signatories to the agreements also have a responsibility to ensure the implementation…  A peacekeeping mission is not a counter‑terrorism mission.  The G5 Sahel force should be supported with regular funding.  A peacekeeping mission is traditionally there to create a political space, but we need that political space to be occupied right now.”

-Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General  said . 

Credit: Gary Raynaldo /   Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, briefs reporters at UN world headquarters Oct. 07, 2019 on Iraq, Syria, Mali, Cameroon.