In West African Mali, the so-called Camp Gecko of the EU mission has come under fire. The camp, in which German soldiers participate in the training of African forces, was attacked on Sunday with rockets, small arms and car bombs, the German Ministry of Defense said.
A person whose nationality is unknown has died, it was said. Presumably it is the driver of the vehicle loaded with explosives. Two Malian soldiers were injured. The German soldiers remained unharmed.
In total, about 180 German soldiers participate in the EU mission. How many were in the camp during the attack is currently unclear. Who is behind the attack, is also not known. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wants to visit the troop training center next week during his trip to West Africa.
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Crisis Forces: Blue Helmets around the worldThe attack on Camp Gecko is not an isolated case: about 50 kilometers outside of the Malian capital Bamako there was another attack on Sunday. Three Guinean blue-helmet soldiers were killed and another wounded, Guinea's defense minister Mohammed Diane said.
Exactly one week ago, the Bundeswehr in Mali had already been shot at. The attack took place in Gao in the north of the country. In this case, the perpetrators were probably Malian armed forces, who actually work together with the UN mission. Due to the darkness, it has apparently given an unclear situation picture, it was said. The German soldiers were unhurt.
The Mali mission is considered the most dangerous foreign assignment of the Bundeswehr. Especially in the north of the country, several groups of Islamist extremists are active. Since launching the mission in 2013, more than 100 UN soldiers have been killed in Mali.