UN peacekeeper from China killed
Print Edition
A CHINESE member of a United Nations mission in Mali was killed and four other Chinese peacekeepers injured in an attack on peacekeepers on Tuesday night, China’s embassy in Mali said yesterday.
The Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said in a statement that its camp in the Water Tower neighborhood of Gao was “the target of an attack by mortars or rockets” about 8:45pm on Tuesday.
Earlier, it said that one blue helmet had been killed and three others seriously wounded, while more than 10 members of MINUSMA, including civilians, were lightly wounded and had received the necessary medical care.
The statement said part of container houses were destroyed during the attack and property damage was being evaluated.
A second armed attack on a UN de-mining unit killed “two security guards and an international expert,” according to the mission. It didn’t give the nationality of the foreigner killed.
The UN has dispatched helicopters to defend the surrounding airspace and a rapid reaction force is patrolling the city.
China condemned the attack on the mission, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying telling a press conference in Beijing: “This is a grave and outrageous crime, China strongly condemns it, we call for the UN and Mali to carry out a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.” She added: “We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and express our heartfelt sympathy to the wounded and the families of the victims.”
The Party’s Central Committee and the State Council are taking the incident very seriously, Hua said, noting that an emergency response and follow-up measures had been immediately launched.
The attack targeted UN peacekeepers, making it a terrible, intolerable crime.
She said the Chinese government firmly supports peace and stability in Africa.
At present, more than 2,400 Chinese peacekeepers are operating in seven African task areas including Mali, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
China will continue to participate in international peacekeeping operations and contribute to peace and security in Africa, she said.
China’s defense ministry also condemned the attack. “The Chinese military is shocked by this terrorist attack,” ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in a statement.
He said the military had set emergency response procedures in motion and China would take all necessary measures to save the injured and protect the lives and security of all Chinese personnel.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will continue to support UN peacekeeping operations, resolutely oppose terrorism in all its forms and safeguard world peace, Wu added.
Al-Qaida’s North African affiliate al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, according to US monitors SITE.
On May 29, five Togolese peacekeepers were killed in an ambush by unidentified gunmen in central Mali, and five Chadians died on May 19 when their vehicle hit a land mine and then came under fire by Islamist group Ansar Dine.
Meanwhile, AQIM said fighters from its “al-Murabitoun battalion engaged in a clash with ‘crusader occupation forces’,” referring to the UN mission in Mali, SITE said.
The jihadists called it an “epic battle” and said they were “thrashing” the enemy.
Al-Murabitoun, led by one-eyed Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, has claimed responsibility for several spectacular and bloody attacks in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mission chief Mahamat Saleh Annadif said he was “disgusted by these vicious, cowardly and totally unacceptable attacks,” calling on the Malian government to track down the attackers and bring them to justice.
“These crimes can no longer be tolerated,” he added.
Mali’s former colonial ruler France condemned the attack and said it was “at the side of the Malian authorities and MINUSMA in their efforts to fight terrorism and usher in stability in Mali.”
France’s Barkhane force has 3,500 soldiers deployed across five Sahel countries, including Mali.
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