Bereaved peacekeepers in Mali: An attack near Timbuktu in the north of the country resulted in the death of a peacekeeper, while four others were seriously injured on Friday 9 June. Mali is weakened by the spread of jihadists and various forms of violence, the UN mission MINUSMA said.
A patrol "was the target of a complex attack" near Ber where it first hit a mine before coming under fire, MINUSMA reported on Twitter, information confirmed to AFP by a spokeswoman.
The "preliminary information" reports one dead and four seriously injured, MINUSMA said. She did not specify the nationality of the peacekeepers.
MINUSMA, a prime target
Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by a deep security crisis in the north that has spread to the centre of the country and neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. It is delivered to the abuses of armed groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization, but also to the violence of so-called self-defense groups, bandits and even regular forces.
MINUSMA, with about 12,000 soldiers deployed, is a prime target for jihadists who target the foreign presence and symbols of the state. Since its creation in 2013, 186 of its members have died in hostile acts. It is the most casual UN mission in the world in recent years.
With AFP
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