Soldier from Senegal in UN MINUSMA Peacekeeping operation in Africa / (credit: un.org)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK – An assault on Thursday by unidentified armed elements on a temporary operating base of the UN Integrated Stabilization Mission for Mali (MINUSMA) in Kerena, near Douentza in Central Mali, resulted in the death of a Togolese peacekeeper. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack which also wounded 27 Togolese peacekeepers, and said it may constitute war crime.
“The Secretary-General expresses his deep condolences to the family of the victim, and to the people and Government of Togo. He wishes a full recovery to those injured. The Secretary-General emphasizes that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime. He calls on the Malian authorities to spare no efforts in promptly holding to account the perpetrators of this heinous attack. The Secretary-General reaffirms the solidarity of the United Nations with the people and Government of Mali.”
-Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General
The attack came just day after at least 20 UN peacekeepers were injured in an attack on their base in central Mali. A MINUSMA temporary base in Kerena, located near Douentza Mali was the target of direct and indirect fire.
FOUR Côte d’Ivoire UN Peacekeepers Killed in West Africa MALI last month
Les contingents du Niger et du Bangladesh lors d’une opération militaire à Ansongo. Photo MINUSMA/Marco Dormino
Last month, four United Nations peacekeepers in Mali were killed and six others wounded in an attack by unidentified armed elements, 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
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.
