Mali: UN condemns attack on peacekeepers in Tessalit

Members of the Security Council on Tuesday strongly condemned the improvised explosive device attack on Chadian peacekeepers. The attack took place yesterday, Monday, and left three dead and three wounded, in Tessalit in the Kidal region of northern Mali.

Meeting on Tuesday for a presentation of the report on the situation in Mali, the members of the Security Council took the opportunity to express their views on the attack on peacekeepers that occurred on Monday in Mali. Thus, “the members of the UN Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the attack perpetrated against the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Mission in Mali (Minusma) on 17 October near Tessalit through an explosive device that killed three peacekeepers from Chad and wounded three others,” said a press release of the organization published on Tuesday.

In addition, the UN Security Council expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and to Chad, and wished the injured a speedy recovery. The UN governing body also called on the Malian authorities to promptly investigate the attack with the support of UNMIS and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Recalling that “attacks on peacekeepers could constitute war crimes under international law”, the Security Council assured that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”.

Finally, the members of the Security Council stressed that “it is important that UNMISMA has the necessary capacity to fulfil its mandate and promote the safety of UN peacekeepers, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2640 (2022).

This latest attack brings to 180 the number of soldiers killed in Mali in the framework of the UN mission since 2013. It is the deadliest UN mission in the world. It should be noted that since the beginning of the attacks by armed groups in Mali in 2012, more than 15,000 men of different nationalities, including 12,261 military and 1,718 police officers, have been deployed in the country within the framework of the UNMISMA.