The military of the Republic of Mali has sustained heavy casualties in a series of deadly Jihadists attacks the past year, with more than 100 Malian soldiers killed in just the last four months alone. 

By Gary Raynaldo       DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS  –  NEW YORK – Twenty Malian soldiers were killed Sunday by suspected extremists in Mali as there seems to be no end in sight to deadly Jihadists attacks despite the presence of thousands of UN peacekeeping  and foreign  troops.  UN  peacekeepers in Mali have been deployed near the border with Mauritania to support the military following the weekend attack.  The Head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Peacekeeping Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) Mahamat Saleh Annadif  condemned the  “cowardly attack”  via Twitter, and  expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wished a swift recovery to those injured, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Monday. “The Mission itself deployed to the area of the attack today to support the Malian armed forces and reiterate its commitment to support peace and stability in Mali,“ Dujarric added.

The identity of the attackers was not immediately clear.  In a statement, government said “terrorists” entered the camp near Sokolo, killed the soldiers and caused “significant material damage”.   More than 100 soldiers in Mali have died in extremists attacks since last September.  Terror and violent attacks linked to militant Islamic groups in the Africa SAHEL  region have increased dramatically during the past few years.  The main African countries on the front lines in the battle against terrorism in the dangerous Sahel region are Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Chad, and Burkina Faso.  

France’s armed forces minister Florence Parly  arrived in Washington Monday amid fears US forces could pull out of the troubled African region. France has 4 500 troops in Mali and the wider Sahel with the US providing much-needed intelligence, logistic and drone support.