Three UN troops killed in Mali
May 11, 2020
Three United Nations peacekeepers were killed and four others seriously wounded on Sunday, when they were struck by a roadside bomb in Northern Mali.
The head of the UN's MINUSMA mission, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, vowed that the perpetrators would be identified and "brought to justice."
The improvised devise exploded while Chadian peacekeepers had been on routine patrol in the Aguelhok district, according to the mission.
Roadside bombs are a common tactic used by jihadists in violence that began in 2012 and has since claimed thousands of lives and displaced populations — despite the present of UN and French troops.
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Post-election unrest
Disputed elections held in March and April culminated on Thursday in two protesters being shot in Sikasso in southern Mali.
Local sources said troops sent from the capital Bamako had used tear gas and bullets to disperse protesters upset over the outcome of the election held on April 30 after being delayed repeatedly.
It went to the ruling Rally for Mali (RPM) of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita which took 53 of the 147 seats in the national assembly — and still facing calls to promote decentralization via constitutional changes.
MINUSMA comprises some 13,000 troops drawn from several countries, including Germany.
ipj/aw (AFP, Reuters)