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Updated October 3rd, 2021 at 15:50 IST

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly denounces attack on peacekeepers in Mali

The secretary-general offered his heartfelt sympathies to the victim's family, as well as Egypt's government & people. In a statement released on the UN website

Reported by: Aparna Shandilya
Antonio Guterres
Image: AP | Image:self
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly denounced Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks on a UN peacekeeping convoy in Mali near Tessalit, Kidal area on October 2, which resulted in the death of an Egyptian peacekeeper and the serious injury of four others.

The secretary-general offered his heartfelt sympathies to the victim's family, as well as Egypt's government and people. In a statement released on the UN website, Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres wished the injured a swift recovery.

The official Twitter account of the UN spokesperson tweeted about the statement with the caption, "The Secretary-General strongly condemns the improvised explosive device attacks today against a @UN_MINUSMA convoy near Tessalit, Kidal region. A peacekeeper from Egypt was killed and four others were seriously injured."

According to the secretary-general, the attack on UN peacekeepers might be considered a 'war crime' under international law. According to the statement, he urged Malian authorities to make every effort to identify the perpetrators of these attacks so that they can be brought to justice as soon as possible.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres underlined the UN's solidarity with Mali's people and government.

Attack on UN peacekeepers

An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in the northeast of Mali, killing one UN peacekeeper and badly injuring four others.

Several attacks in northern Mali have targeted the UN mission in recent weeks. An explosive device near the MINUSMA camp in Kidal injured three peacekeepers on September 11.

Mali has been in the grip of a serious complex crisis on the security, political, and economic fronts since 2012. Despite the deployment of UN, African, and European forces, separatist insurgencies, jihadist invasions, and intercommunal violence have killed thousands of people and displaced thousands more.

Image: AP

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Published October 3rd, 2021 at 15:49 IST

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