A blue helmet, operating within the United Nations mission in Mali, was killed this Sunday in the explosion of a mine in Kidal, in the north of the country. He was part of the Ghanaian contingent of Minusma. It is the peacekeeping operation that has suffered the most human losses.
While participating in a patrol, a blue helmet from the United Nations international mission in Mali was killed according to the head of the operation, El-Ghassim Wane, who announced it on his Twitter account. He was part of the Guinean contingent of Minusma, a mission official told AFP, on condition of anonymity. “He was first injured and succumbed to his injuries at our hospital in Kidal,” he added.
Saddened by the death this morning at #Kidalof 1 of our #blue helmet who jumped on 1 #mine while participating in 1 patrol. Terrible news which adds to the long list of our colleagues who have lost their lives in the course of their service at the #Mali. #ServiceandSacrifice
— El-Ghassim Wane (@elghassimw) June 19, 2022
This new death comes in a tense context of negotiations on the renewal of the mandate of Minusma, the UN peacekeeping mission having suffered the most human losses. A total of 175 of its blue helmets died in hostile acts. “Terrible news which adds to the long list of our colleagues who have lost their lives during their service in Mali”, reacted El-Ghassim Wane on Twitter.
Mali, mired in a political and security crisis
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are one of the weapons of choice for jihadists against the Minusma as well as the Malian forces. They also regularly kill many civilians. Mali, a poor and landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel, was the scene of two military coups in August 2020 and May 2021. The political crisis goes hand in hand with a serious security crisis since 2012 and the outbreak of insurgencies separatists and jihadists in the north.
The country is now ruled by a junta that has turned away from France and its partners, and has turned to Russia to try to stem the spread of jihadism that has spread to the center as well as Burkina Faso and Niger. neighbors. This violence caused thousands of civilian and military deaths as well as hundreds of thousands of displaced persons.