The UN Chief António Guterres strongly condemned in the strongest terms Tuesday’s terrorist attack against a convoy of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), in which two Egyptian peacekeepers were killed and nine others were injured.
According to a statement released by the UN, the Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the grieved families of the victims, as well as to the Government and people of Egypt, whose brave soldiers continue to pay the highest price in the service of peace in Mali, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.
The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law, the statement pointed out.
In the same connection, he called on the transitional authorities in Mali to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this attack and swiftly bringing them to justice.
The Secretary-General pays tribute to MINUSMA peacekeepers who, with exemplary determination and courage, continue to implement their mandate in extremely challenging circumstances in support of the people of Mali, the statement concluded.
The attack that took place approximately 62 km northeast of Gao, in northern Mali, was reported as an Improvised Explosive Device (IED)/mine.
It’s worth mentioning that the Egyptian peacekeepers have helped save countless lives and brought peace and stability to many countries for many years.
Egypt is also the 7th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping. It currently deploys nearly 2,800 military and police personnel to the UN operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, South Sudan, and Western Sahara, according to UN Egypt.
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