On Friday, a United Nations peacekeeper was killed and four others were seriously injured during a patrol in northern Mali, according to MINUSMA, the peacekeeping mission. The incident occurred near the town of Ber in the Timbouctou region, which has experienced a surge in violent activity over the past decade.
MINUSMA, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, reported on Twitter that the patrol encountered an improvised explosive device and was subsequently attacked with direct fire. The attack was described as “complex,” and updates on casualties are expected to follow.
Armed groups, some of which are linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, have been at war in northern Mali since they took control of a Tuareg rebellion in 2012. Despite international military interventions to assist local troops in fighting back, the violence has spread throughout the Sahel region under the Sahara and beyond.
Original article from www.aljazeera.com