UN Peacekeeper Killed, 8 Seriously Injured in Mali Attack

Attackers launched a deadly assault in Mali’s northern Timbuktu region, resulting in the death of one UN peacekeeper and leaving eight others seriously injured. The targeted peacekeepers, all hailing from Burkina Faso, were part of a security patrol near the town of Ber when they were struck by an improvised explosive device and subsequently faced direct small arms fire, approximately seven kilometers away from their base. The United Nations, in conjunction with El-Ghassim Wane, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, expressed profound condemnation of the attack.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric conveyed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for Mali’s transitional authorities to promptly identify the assailants and bring them to justice, highlighting that such attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes according to international law. The situation in Mali has been volatile since a military coup in 2020, leading to the installation of a military junta. Extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State have been responsible for a series of destabilizing attacks in the country since 2013.

In 2021, France and its European partners withdrew from the fight against extremists in Mali’s north after the junta enlisted mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group. In April, the United States cautioned Mali’s military government that the continued deployment of over 15,000 peacekeepers by the United Nations would be deemed “irresponsible” unless the country lifted restrictions, including those on operating reconnaissance drones, and fulfilled political commitments towards achieving peace and conducting elections by March 2024.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is considering three options proposed by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the future of the peacekeeping mission in Mali: increasing its size, reducing its footprint, or transitioning it into a political mission by withdrawing troops and police. The current mandate of the mission is set to expire on June 30.

Dujarric revealed that the fallen peacekeeper marks the ninth casualty in Mali this year. Secretary-General Guterres paid tribute to the “determination and courage” of the peacekeepers operating in challenging conditions. The tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks faced by peacekeepers in Mali and other conflict zones as they tirelessly strive to bring stability and peace to the people of Mali.