A peacekeeper from the UN mission in Mali was killed Wednesday during an attack on a convoy in the central city of Timbuktu, the UN said without specifying the victim’s nationality.
The attack also left seven other peacekeepers wounded, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in New York, adding that “the UN mission has secured the area, provided casualties evacuation and launched an investigation.”
The mission in Mali is the deadliest of the peacekeeping work carried out around the world by the United Nations.
The new attack came on the day of a quarterly Security Council meeting on Mali and advancing its peace process.
In his latest report, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about “the volatile and deteriorating security situation in central and northern Mali.”
He urged “militias, violent extremist movements and other armed groups to immediately cease violence and destabilizing activities.”
Minusma, the UN mission, currently has around 14,500 soldiers and police deployed in Mali.