In an attack on Friday in jihadist-infested northern Mali, one peacekeeper perished and four others suffered critical injuries, according to the UN peacekeeping operation there.
A patrol near the town of Ber was the target of a “complex attack” combining an improvised explosive device and direct fire, according to MINUSMA on Twitter.
The victims’ nationalities were not made known.
Since 2012, when jihadist and separatist uprisings began in the north of the country and expanded to Burkina Faso and Niger, Mali has been dealing with a political and security crisis.
Many of the assaults are attributed to rebels with ties to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, although bandits and self-declared defense organizations also contribute to the bloodshed in the area.
With over 12,000 soldiers stationed in Mali, MINUSMA is a frequent target for jihadists as an international army and representation of state power.
One hundred eighty-six of its members have perished in hostile circumstances since the group’s founding in 2013.
An uprising in 2020 that installed the nation’s current military junta as rulers was sparked by rage over the government’s failure to put the militants down.
However, significant portions of the huge nation continue to be ungoverned, and assaults on the nation’s and the world’s security forces persist.
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