A peace accord signed last year was meant to bring stability to the
arid region, but attacks against the U.N. mission, Malian military and
civilians are still frequent.
Five U.N. Chadian peacekeepers killed by bomb, gunfire in northern Mali(Attack TV)
5 United Nations peacekeepers from Chad were killed and three were wounded in northern Mali
on Wednesday when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device and
unknown gunmen opened fire, the United Nations said in a statement late
on Wednesday.
Northern Mali is home to a
separatist movement as well as to Islamist militants who have staged a
series of high profile attacks in the past year both in Mali and in
neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso.
A
peace accord signed last year was meant to bring stability to the arid
region, but attacks against the U.N. mission, Malian military and
civilians are still frequent.
The U.N.
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was
established in April 2013 with a mandate that includes supporting the
political process, monitoring human rights and protecting the civilian
population.
The U.N. said on Wednesday that 12
peacekeepers had been killed since the start of the year in dozens of
attacks against the force in the Kidal region, where Wednesday's assault
took place.
However, the U.N. would continue to support the implementation of the peace agreement in Mali, it said in the statement.
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