(Dakar) Seven peacekeepers were injured on Saturday in central Mali by the explosion of a device as their convoy passed, said the UN stabilization mission (Minusma).
The blue helmets “receive the appropriate care”, indicated the Minusma on the social networks without specifying their state or their nationality. A spokeswoman confirmed the information to AFP.
The explosion occurred 34 km north of Douentza. Six attacks similar to the improvised explosive device (IED) were counted in 2023 in the center of the country, one of the centers of jihadist abuses and violence of all kinds which bloody Mali and the Sahel, said the Minusma.
Mines and IEDs are one of the weapons of choice of the jihadists who have been raging in Mali since 2012 and target the foreign presence and the symbols of the State. These attacks cause dozens of deaths each year, mostly soldiers, but also civilians. Mines and IEDs have killed nearly 80 peacekeepers in ten years, including three members of the Senegalese contingent of Minusma in February.
Minusma, with around 12,000 soldiers deployed, is the UN mission that has suffered the most losses in the world in recent years. Since its creation in 2013, 185 of its members have died in hostile acts.