UN mourns three Guinean peacekeepers killed in Mali

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council condemned on Saturday in the strongest terms the attack against vehicles of the peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, which took place on Friday and in which three “blue helmets” from Guinea were killed and at least another injured.

In a press statement released on UN website, Mr. Guterres and the members of the Security Council extended their condoleances to the families of the fallen, wished the injured a speedy and full recovery, and expressed their solidarity with the people of Guinea and with those who risk their lives serving in the mission.

Guinea is the eight largest contributor of troops to MINUSMA, with 869 women and men serving in it.

The UN chief cautioned that any attack against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and called on the Malian authorities to “spare no effort in identifying and swiftly bringing to justice the perpetrators of this attack.”

The UN Security Council added that “involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against MINUSMA peacekeepers constitutes a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolutions.”