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Bombs hit a convoy of UN peacekeepers in Mali, 3 soldiers were killed. Photo/Illustration/Sindonews
BAMAKO – Three soldiers UN peacekeepers killed and several others seriously injured by roadside bombs in Mali on Tuesday local time.
The UN peace mission in Mali said in a statement the bomb hit a supply convoy near the village of Songobia.
“I strongly condemn this attack and extend my sincere condolences to the families and brothers in the arms of the late Blue Helmets,” said El-Ghassim Wane, head of the UN mission known as MINUSMA. 2023).
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He said the incident illustrated the complex environment in which peacekeepers work.
Terrorist violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group (ISIS) has ravaged Mali for a decade and left thousands of people dead. The war-torn West African country is one of the most dangerous places in the world with a peacekeeping mission.
For the ninth year in a row, Mali has had the most peacekeepers killed while stationed there, according to a UN report in January. Including peacekeepers as of Tuesday, according to the UN, 168 have been killed in the country since 2013.
Since Mali’s military seized power in two coups starting in 2020, the junta led by Colonel Assimi Goita has had strained relations with the international community and limited the mission’s ability to operate.
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According to the International Crisis Group, countries such as Benin, Germany, Sweden, Ivory Coast and the UK have announced troop withdrawals.
An internal review of the mission in January called it one of the most difficult operating environments for peacekeeping and said restrictions imposed by the junta had exposed personnel to security risks.
“The loss of participating nations will place the mission under additional pressure, as it will lose more than 2,250 troops,” the report said.
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(ian)
