UN Condemns Attack on Peacekeepers in Mali

New York, June 4: The United Nations on Friday (local time) condemned the latest attack on the UN peacekeepers in Mali in which two Egyptian peacekeepers lost their lives. This is the second fatal attack this week on a peacekeeping convoy in the West African country.

The UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA, lost two Egyptian peacekeepers on Friday. The two blue helmets were killed and another was injured when their armored personnel carrier hit an improvised explosive device outside the town of Douentza, in the Mopti region in central Mali. 10 UN Peacekeepers Killed in 'Jihadist' Attack in Mali.

"The secretary-general condemns this new attack on our peacekeepers, who, as you know, are just fulfilling the mandate in Mali given to them by the Security Council in extremely challenging conditions," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, Xinhua reported.

The UN chief also wished a prompt recovery to the injured peacekeepers. MINUSMA's logistic convoy in Kidal, northern Mali, came under direct fire from suspected terrorists for nearly an hour on Wednesday. In all, four Jordanian peacekeepers were injured, and one of them died after being evacuated, Xinhua News Agency reported.

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix also tweeted his condemnation on Friday, of what he called "yet again another cowardly attack against our peacekeepers." "These crimes are a blatant violation of international law," and they "shall not go unpunished," Lacroix said.

Mali remains one of the most dangerous places to serve as a peacekeeper. MINUSMA, the French acronym for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, was established in April 2013 in the wake of a military coup and the occupation of the north by radical Islamists. The mission supports political processes and performs tasks related to security and civilian protection.

Despite the challenging circumstances, MINUSMA personnel continue their mandated work, Dujarric said. The mission recently helped rebuild two bridges that had been destroyed in earlier attacks in the Mopti region, according to Dujarric.

The development will bring relief to the population, and will also facilitate the resumption of travel, commerce and other economic activities, including between Mopti city and the town of Bandiagara, some 65 kilometers to the southeast, Xinhua reported further

As part of their ongoing support to communities in northern Mali, peacekeepers have assisted people in two towns in Kidal and Gao regions, said Dujarric.

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