UN peacekeeper killed, four wounded in Mali after vehicle triggers landmine explosion
- UN peacekeeping and French forces are stationed in Mali to combat jihadist groups seen as threatening security across Africa’s Sahel region
A UN peacekeeper was killed and four others wounded on Sunday when their vehicle hit an explosive device in northern Mali, the UN mission (MINUSMA) said.
The identity of the attackers was not immediately clear.
UN peacekeeping and French forces are stationed in Mali to combat jihadist groups seen as threatening security across Africa’s Sahel region.
The soldiers had been taking part in a patrol near the village of Aguelhok when the blast hit, UN mission spokesman Olivier Salgado tweeted. Elsewhere on Sunday, peacekeepers in Mali’s central region of Mopti exchanged fire with members of an unidentified armed group after they came under attack, he said.
“MINUSMA chief (Mahamat Saleh) Annadif strongly condemns the recent resurgence of this type of attacks, particularly in the centre of the country,” he said.