Tension escalates in Mali as 4 UN peacekeepers killed, 5 wounded

A United Nations soldier who was among peacekeepers being attacked in Mali on Wednesday succumbed to his wounds on Thursday, bringing the death toll to four and leaving five wounded according to the UN.

The peacekeepers' convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device and the troops then came under attack by unidentified gunmen in the vast Timbuktu region.

According to a statement released by the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali or MINUSMA on Wednesday, a robust response by the peacekeepers forced the attackers to flee, and the wounded personnel were evacuated by helicopter.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, strongly condemned the attack and called on Malian authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. The UN chief emphasized that attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.

"The secretary-general strongly condemns today's attack by unidentified armed elements against a convoy of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali in Timbuktu region, which has resulted in the death of four Ivorian peacekeepers," the statement said.

"The secretary-general expresses his deepest condolences to the bereaved families, as well as to the people and government of Cote d'Ivoire. He wishes speedy and full recovery to the five injured peacekeepers. He also reaffirms the solidarity of the United Nations with the people and government of Mali."

Lassina Doumbia, Cote d'Ivoire's armed forces chief of staff, confirmed the attack in a statement and added that aerial reinforcements consisting of attack helicopters and medical aircraft were immediately deployed to sweep the area and to evacuate the wounded.

MINUSMA was established in 2013, after terrorist groups took control of major towns in the country's north the year before. This followed a brutal conflict that had been raging in Mali since 2012, when jihadists overtook a rebellion by mostly ethnic Tuareg separatists in the north.

Since then, the security situation in Mali has improved owing to efforts of the UN Mission, national security forces and international partners.

"Attacks against civilians and peacekeepers continue, and MINUSMA remains the most dangerous UN operation in the world. As of December 2020, MINUSMA had suffered 231 fatalities among its civilian and uniformed personnel, of which 134 were the result of malicious acts. An additional 358 personnel sustained serious injuries," the statement said.

According to reports in local media, the attack occurred north of Bambara Maoude, an area where the Group to Support Islam and Muslims or GSIM, also known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, a jihadist group created in 2017 and affiliated to Al-Qaeda, is notoriously active.