The UN officials said on Sunday that a Nigerian soldier attached to the UN peacekeeping force in Mali was killed and another compatriot was injured in two attacks on the mission in the country.

According to Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, gunmen attacked the UN troops in Timbuktu, which is in the northern part of Mali, where various militant groups are active. At the time of writing, neither the dead Nigerian soldier, nor the wounded compatriot has been identified.

Furthermore, three UN soldiers from Chad were wounded in Tessalit in the northern region of Kidal, near Mali’s border with Algeria, when an explosive device was driven over by their vehicle.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, sent his “heartfelt condolences” to the bereaved family of the dead Nigerian soldier in particular and the Nigerian Government in general. He also “wished a speedy recovery to the other Nigerian peacekeeper who was injured in that same attack”.

At the same tone, he expressed his wish for a “swift recovery to three Chadian peacekeepers”, who were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) hit their mine-protected vehicle in Tessalit, Kidal.

Guterres condemned the senseless attacks, and said such violence on UN peacekeepers seems tantamount to war crimes under international law.

Since a 2012 military coup that enabled jihadist groups associated with al-Qaeda and separatists gain a strong ground in Mali’s restive north, armed groups have been sporadically attacking the country’s unity.

In response to the the unrest in the country, a UN peacekeeping mission has been active there since 2013. And ethnic conflicts in the centre flare up regularly, while militants have repeatedly attacked the UN mission in the northern region.

Meanwhile, in the strongest terms, the Federal Government of Nigeria condemned the attacks on the UN Peace Keepers that resulted to the death of one of its own soldier.

On Sunday in Abuja, in a statement by its Acting Spokesperson, Friday Akpan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this:

As we await further details on the attacks, the Ministry wishes to express its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and pray that God grant them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

While wishing the injured quick recovery, the Ministry also wishes to commiserate with the UN Peace Keeping Mission in Mali on the sad incidence.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated the Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to keep supporting the UN peacekeeping mission in its fight against insecurity in Africa and beyond.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.