Three UN peacekeepers have been killed and five others seriously wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in central Mali.
In a post on social media, the UN mission said one of its convoy had been targeted.
Central #Mali 🇲🇱. A MINUSMA Force convoy hit an Improvised Explosive Device #IED today, 21 February. According to preliminary reports, 3 #Peacekeepers lost their lives and 5 others are seriously injured. They are #NotATarget.
— MINUSMA (@UN_MINUSMA) February 21, 2023
More info to follow. #PK75#A4P pic.twitter.com/FSS6M7fk7E
It is one of the UN’s more dangerous deployments, with more than 200 peacekeepers killed during nine-and-a-half years of operations.
Separatists and Islamist militants launch frequent attacks in north and central Mali despite the presence of the UN and, until last year, a French peacekeeping force that was asked to leave the country by the new military government.