Mali: Two peacekeepers killed in Mali by mine explosion

Two UN soldiers were killed and five others seriously injured in a mine explosion in the West African crisis state of Mali.

An armored vehicle of a supply convoy was hit by the detonation in the morning, said the management of the UN stabilization mission Minusma.

The soldiers were therefore traveling between the village of Tessalit and the city of Gao in northern Mali.

Minusma did not provide information on the nationality of the victims.

A spokeswoman for the Operations Command told the dpa news agency that Bundeswehr soldiers were not affected.

They provided medical assistance with a helicopter.

German soldiers are stationed in Gao as part of the Minusma operation.

The country with around 20 million inhabitants has experienced three military coups since 2012 and is considered to be extremely unstable politically.

Since the most recent coup in May, Mali has been led by a transitional military government that is supposed to maintain close ties with Russia.

Islamist terrorist groups have been troubling the crisis-ridden state for years.

The military junta has promised elections by the end of March 2024.

At the end of June, the UN Security Council extended the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali by one year.

Although the Bundestag had extended the mandate for the Minusma mission by a year in May, a withdrawal clause was also agreed if local security can no longer be guaranteed.

French attack helicopters are soon missing from the UN mission

The background is the announced withdrawal of France from Mali.

As a result, combat helicopters in particular are missing from the mission.

Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) did not rule out a withdrawal of the Bundeswehr from the UN mission in Mali if the United Nations could no longer guarantee the “best possible protection” of German soldiers.

svs/dpa