UN MINUSMA Peacekeeping operation in Africa / (credit: un.org)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK – Seven UN peacekeepers from Togo were killed Wednesday and three others seriously injured when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in the Bandiagara region in central Mali, the UN mission in the country confirmed. The peacekeepers were part of a convoy travelling from Douentza to Sevare. “UN Secretary General António Guterres strongly condemns this heinous attack,” said spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. He said The UN chief offered his sincere condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Government and people of Togo, and wished a full recovery to all those who were injured.
“The Secretary-General also calls on the Malian authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this attack so that they can be brought to justice”, Mr. Dujarric said.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, condemned this “cowardly attack” and stressed that it could constitute a war crime under international law.
7 de nos soldats tués & 3 autres blessés dans 1 attaque ce jour dans le Centre du #Mali. Celle-ci fait suite à 1 série d'attaques visant civils & personnel de @UN_MINUSMA, & rappelle l'urgence de la stabilisation du #Mali. Leur sacrifice ne sera pas vain. #ServiceetSacrifice #A4P
— El-Ghassim Wane (@elghassimw) December 8, 2021
Mission In West Africa Nation Mali The Most Dangerous In The World For UN Peacekeepers
MINUSMA peacekeepers on patrol in Mali. (Credit: UNMINUSMA)
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.
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, according to the Washington Post. When the 11,000 U.N. troops arrived in 2013, they were meant to protect a fledgling peace deal and train the Malian army. But Islamist extremists regrouped across the region. It did not take long before the militants started targeting peacekeepers, whom they dubbed “Crusader occupation forces.”
