A peacekeeper from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (Minusma) was killed and four others “seriously wounded” on Friday near the town of Ber, in the north of the country, which is plagued by the spread of jihadism and violence of all kinds, announced Minusma in a Tweet.
It said that “a convoy was the target of a complex attack” near Ber and that after hitting a mine, it came under direct fire”. The human toll is still provisional.
Since 2012, Mali has been in the grip of a deep security crisis that started in the north and has spread to the center of the country and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
The Minusma, with around 12,000 soldiers deployed, is a favorite target of jihadists who aim to destroy the foreign presence and symbols of the State. Since its creation in 2013, 186 of its members have died in hostile acts.