Seven UN peacekeepers were killed and three were seriously injured after their vehicle was detonated by an improvised explosive device (IED) in central Mali on Wednesday. With that, the death toll among UN soldiers killed this year in the West African country stands at 19, according to the Associated Press. UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said all peacekeepers killed and injured in the incident came from Togo. Since 2012, Mali has battled an Islamic terrorist insurgency, and attacks on civilians and UN forces have exacerbated the situation.

Stéphane Dujarri also said that the IED exploded in the Bandiagara neighborhood, hitting a vehicle carrying Togolese peacekeepers as part of a United Nations logistics convoy moving from Douentza to Sevare. The United Nations peacekeeping department said the soldiers were in an armored personnel carrier.

Antonio Guterres urged the Malian authorities not to spare the perpetrators

According to the United Nations, the 19 soldiers killed in Mali this year include eight Togolese, three Egyptians, one of whom died on Monday from injuries sustained in an attack in northern Mali last month, four from Côte d’Ivoire. and four from Chad. . Dujarric announced that the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, had urged the Malian authorities to spare no effort to identify the perpetrators of this act so that they are brought to justice as soon as possible. He said the UN Secretary-General expressed his condolences to the families, government and people of Togo, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

More than 87,000 peacekeepers from more than 120 countries currently serve in 12 missions around the world, including approximately 16,600 in Mali. United Nations peacekeeping commander Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the organization has made significant progress in strengthening the safety and security of those serving in peacekeeping deployments during of the past four years. However, he stressed that more needed to be done, including ensuring that missions have the necessary skills.

El-Ghassim Wane denounced the attack

El-Ghassim Wane, the special representative of the secretary general in Mali, denounced the attack and warned that it could constitute a war crime under international law, according to the UN. He further said that these deaths add to the horrific number of attacks on peacekeepers in Mali. He also said that this is the peace operation where the peacekeepers have paid the highest price.

(AP News entries)

(Photo: AP)