The UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack which led to the deaths of two peacekeepers from Sri Lanka and injured six others in the Mopti region, central Mali on Friday.
The Secretary-General expressed his deep condolences to the Government of Sri Lanka and the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured, a statement from the UN said.
It went on to say, the Secretary-General strongly condemns the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack against a MINUSMA convoy near Douentza, Mopti region.Two peacekeepers from Sri Lanka were killed and six injured. A peacekeeper from Burkina Faso was injured in a separate IED attack against another Mission convoy near Douentza yesterday.
The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He calls on the Malian authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this attack, so that they can be brought to justice as swiftly as possible.
These cowardly acts will not deter MINUSMA’s determination to support the people and Government of Mali in their pursuit of peace and stability.