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Mali: UN condemns second ‘cowardly’ attack in three days against peacekeepers |



Blue helmets were killed and another injured when their armored personnel carrier was hit by an improvised explosive device outside the town of Douentza, located in the Mopti region of central Mali.

United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, said the incident also marked the sixth time a convoy of the Mission has been involved in a collision since May 22.

A ‘very hard week’

“The Secretary-General condemns this new attack on our peacekeepers, who, as you know, are just completing their mission in Mali due to Security Council under extremely challenging conditions,” he told journalists in New York.

The head of the United Nations also wished that the wounded peacekeepers would recover quickly.

In one written statement Mr. Dujarric said the Secretary-General reiterated that attacks on UN peacekeepers could constitute a war crime under international law. The UN chief also called on the transitional agencies in Mali “to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this attack, so that they can quickly bring them to justice”.

El-Ghassim Wane, the leader MINUSMAput on Twitter to condemn “This new attack by extremists.”

In another post, he wrote that this was “a difficult, very hard week for us. ”

‘Another Cowardly Attack’

On Wednesday, a MINUSMA logistics convoy in Kidal, northern Mali, came under direct fire from suspected members of a terrorist group for about an hour.

Four peacekeepers from Jordan were injured, one of them died of their injuries after being evacuated.

The head of United Nations Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, also tweeted condemning him for what he called “Another cowardly attack on our peacekeepers”.

“These crimes are a flagrant violation of international law,” Mr. Lacroix said, adding that they “will go unpunished.”

At the same time strongly condemning the attack and repeating the words of the head of the United Nations peacekeeping force, members of the United Nations Security Councilurges the Transitional Government of Mali to promptly investigate the attack on the peacekeepers and bring the perpetrators to justice, and to notify the relevant donor country of the progress.

In one press statement, Council members emphasized that attacks against peacekeepers could constitute a war crime under international law. They further emphasized that participation in the planning, direction, funding or conduct of attacks against MINUSMA peacekeepers is the basis for the introduction of sanctions under the resolutions. decision of the Security Council.

Commitment to service

Mali continues to be among the most dangerous places to serve a peacekeeping role.

MINUSMA – the French acronym for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali – was established in April 2013 following a military coup and the occupation of the north by Islamist elements. extreme.

The mission supports political processes and performs a variety of tasks related to security and the protection of civilians.

The UN spokesman said that despite the difficult circumstances, MINUSMA staff continued to carry out their assigned work.

Mr. Dujarric reported that the Mission recently helped restore two bridges in the Mopti region that were destroyed in previous attacks.

The development will bring relief to residents, and will also facilitate the resumption of travel, commerce and other economic activities, including between the city of Mopti and the town. Bandiagara, about 65 km to the southeast.

Meanwhile, peacekeepers have been assisting people in two towns in the Kidal and Gao regions, as part of ongoing support for communities in northern Mali.





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