Les Forces Armées Maliennes (FAMa) sont responsables de la défense de l’intégrité territoriale et la souveraineté du Mali. 

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

At least 6 Malian soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack in the central Mopti region of the west African nation,  Mali’s military reported.  Two FAMa army posts in Boulkessi and Mondoro were attacked Sunday morning resulting in the 6 casualties and another 18 wounded. 

Deux postes de sécurité #FAMa à #Boulkessi et #Mondoro ont énergiquement réagi à deux attaques complexes et simultanées, cette nuit aux environs de 03h30mn. pic.twitter.com/0pXTWiWWAl

— Forces Armées Maliennes (@FAMa_DIRPA) January 24, 2021

Sixth Attack  on Soldiers in MALI After August Military Coup –  40 Soldiers Killed

Les Forces Armées Maliennes (FAMa) sont responsables de la défense de l’intégrité territoriale et la souveraineté du Mali. 

Mali was plunged into political chaos following a military coup on August 18 that forced out President  Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta .  A group of military officers, the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), has controlled the West African country after the mutineers detained Keïta at gunpoint, arrested him and forced him to resign.    Former Mali defence minister and retired colonel Bah Ndaw was named interim president  while the leader of the junta that seized power last month, Colonel Assimi Goita, was appointed vice president.

FOUR Côte d’Ivoire UN Peacekeepers Killed in West Africa MALI

UN MINUSMA Peacekeeping operation in Africa / (credit: un.org)

Four  United Nations peacekeepers in Mali were killed and six others wounded in an attack by unidentified armed elements on Wednesday Jan. 14,  2021, the UN mission in the country confirmed.  The peacekeepers’ convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED), and the troops then came under attack by unidentified gunmen in the vast Timbuktu region. The attack  killed four  Côte d’Ivoire peacekeepers.  UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack and called on Malian authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.  Guterres suggested the attacks on UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.  

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

Credit: MINUSMA)   UN  MINUSMA peacekeepers on patrol in northern Mali.

Today, MINUSMA is the deadliest mission to serve in as a UN ‘blue helmet’ with nearly 200  paying the ultimate sacrifice, since it was established in 2013. In 2019 alone, the number of fatalities stands at 15, according to the  UN. 

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.