Mali: Attackers in northern Mali's Timbuktu region, where extremists still operate, killed one UN peacekeeper and critically injured eight others on Friday, according to the UN.

According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the peacekeepers were a part of a security patrol that was attacked in the town of Ber, first by an improvised explosive device and then by direct fire.

El-Ghassim Wane, the commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, and the United Nations both strongly condemn the attack, according to Dujarric.
Since a coup against Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, an elected president, in 2020, Mali has been governed by a military junta. Since 2013, it has been the target of destabilising attacks by armed extremist groups connected to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh organisation.

Also Read: Why is China digging a 10 kilometer deep pit inside the earth, what does the dragon want?

After the junta hired mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group, France and its European allies fighting extremists in northern Mali withdrew from the nation in 2021.

In April, the US warned Mali's military government that the UN's deployment of its more than 15,000 peacekeepers would be "irresponsible" unless the western African nation lifted restrictions, including those preventing the use of reconnaissance drones, and upheld its political commitments to peace and elections in March 2024.

Also Read: 11 people died, 30 were injured in bomb blast in Mosque

The warning came as the UN Security Council debated three options for the future of the peacekeeping mission put forth by Secretary-General António Guterres: expanding it, shrinking its footprint, or withdrawing troops and police and turning it into a political mission. On June 1, its current mandate expires.

Also Read: How AI can benefit the agricultural industry in India

The peacekeeper killed on Friday, according to Dujarric, was the ninth to pass away in Mali this year.

This tragic loss serves as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by peacekeepers as they tirelessly work to bring stability and peace to the people of Mali, he said.