Gunmen killed at least eight Chadian UN peacekeepers in an attack Sunday on one of their bases in northern Mali, multiple sources reported.
The UN spokesman in Mali condemned what he described as a vile and cowardly attack and called for a “robust” response.
“According to a new toll, still provisional, at least eight peacekeepers have been killed,” a source close to the MINUSMA force said.
The attack happened early Sunday at the Aguelhok base 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Kidal and towards the border with Algeria, the source added.
A diplomat in northern Mali told AFP that several of the attackers had also been killed.
Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the UN’s special representative for Mali, condemned the attack in a statement.
“Peacekeepers of the MINUSMA force at Aguelhok fought off a sophisticated attack by assailants who arrived on several armed vehicles,” he said.
The “cowardly” attack, he added, “illustrates the determination of the terrorists to sow chaos.
“It demands a robust, immediate and concerted response from all forces to destroy the peril of terrorism in the Sahel.”
An attack at the same base last April killed two peacekeepers and left several others wounded.
