Credit: UNMIL/Staton Winter /  UN peacekeepers in Liberia.

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS  –  NEW  YORK –  Two UN peacekeepers in Mali were killed Saturday in an attack on their convoy in the north of the West African nation.  The two peacekeepers were Egyptian nationals with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), according to a statement from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

 “The Secretary-General strongly condemns yesterday’s attack against a convoy of the United Nations Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) travelling between Tessalit and Gao, in which two Egyptian peacekeepers lost their lives. The Secretary-General expresses his deep condolences to the bereaved families as well as to the Government and people of Egypt.”

-Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for UN Secretary-General  António Guterres 

The  MINUSMA Mission In West Africa nation Mali is the most dangerous in the world for UN Peacekeepers.  There have been nearly 200 UN ‘blue helmet’ peacekeepers killed since MINUSMA  was established in 2013.  Three UN peacekeepers from Chad were killed in northern Mali last month when their convoy hit a roadside bomb near Aguelhok, in the restive Kidal region.  On Feb. 20, 2019, three UN peacekeepers from Guinea  were killed near west African nation Mali’s capital city Bamako. On Jan. 20, 2019, ten peacekeepers from Chad were killed in a suspected Islamist attack in northern Mali.

Attacks Targeting United Nations peacekeepers May Constitute War Crimes 

“The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He calls on the Malian authorities to spare no effort identifying and bringing to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime,”   Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for UN Secretary-General  said.  He added that  “the Secretary-General reaffirms that such cowardly acts will not deter the United Nations from its resolve to continue supporting the people and Government of Mali in their pursuit of peace and stability.”

Meanwhile, the terror threat in Mali continues unabated despite a massive deployment UN peacekeepers and  French troops tasked with halting jihadist’s attacks. There have been  25 French soldiers confirmed killed since the start of Operation Barkhane, which was launched more than four years ago to quell jihadist activity in the former French colony of Mali and in neighbouring countries.