UN MINUSMA peacekeepers (Blue Hats) in Mali (credit: UN Photo)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK – At least 20 UN peacekeepers were injured in an attack on their base in central Mali early Wednesday, a UN spokesman confirmed. “This morning around 7 a.m., a MINUSMA temporary base in Kerena, located near Douentza Mali was the target of direct and indirect fire. During the attack, and according to a provisional toll, about 20 peacekeepers were injured,” Oliver Salgado, the spokesman for the UN’s MINSUMA peacekeeping operation in Mali via Twitter.
Ce matin vers 7h, une base temporaire de la #MINUSMA à #Kerena, située dans les environs de Douentza, #Mali a été la cible de tirs directs et indirects. Durant l’attaque, et selon un bilan provisoire, une vingtaine de Casques bleus ont été blessés. (1/2)
— Olivier Salgado (@olivier_salgado) February 10, 2021
“The SRSG and Head of MINUSMA, Mr. ANNADIF strongly condemns this cowardly attack on the peacekeepers and has ensured that all measures are taken to ensure that the wounded receive appropriate treatment. “
-Oliver Salgado
FOUR Côte d’Ivoire UN Peacekeepers Killed in West Africa MALI last month
Four United Nations peacekeepers in Mali were killed and six others wounded in an attack by unidentified armed elements on Wednesday, 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.
Mission In West Africa Nation Mali The Most Dangerous In The World For UN Peacekeepers
Despite the presence of thousands of UN peacekeepers and foreign troops, terror and violent attacks linked to militant Islamic groups in the Africa SAHEL region have increased dramatically during the past few years. There are nearly 22,000 troops in the Sahel, but they have yet to succeed in stopping the Islamist insurgency.
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.
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. There are about 13,000 UN MINUSMA troops in Mali.
