Three blue helmets were injured by the explosion of a mine in the north of Mali, the UN mission (Minusma) in the country reported on Tuesday on social networks. “One of our convoys headed for Timbuktu on November 21 hit a mine. Three peacekeepers were injured, one seriously,” he said.
The Minusma did not specify the nationality of the soldiers. Mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are one of the weapons of choice for jihadists who have been raging in the country since 2012.
Main target of the jihadists
The Minusma is, together with the Malian forces, one of the main objectives of the jihadists who aim against the foreign presence and the symbols of the State.
The Minusma, with some 12,000 soldiers deployed in Mali, is the UN mission that has suffered the most losses in the world in recent years. Since its creation in 2013, 181 of its members have been killed in hostile acts.
A Minusma report counted 245 improvised explosive device (IED) and mine attacks in 2021 and 134 in 2022, during the first eight months of 2021 and 2022. These attacks killed 103 in 2021 and 72 in 2022, mostly soldiers but also civilians.
Source: BFM TV
