India condemns attack against UN peacekeepers in Mali & C.A.R, extends solidarity

India on Sunday has strongly condemned the attack against the United Nation (U.N.) peacekeepers in two separate incidents in Mali. A Burundian peacekeeper from the UN mission in the Central African Republic (C.A.R) was killed Friday during an attack perpetrated by a rebel group, following which, another peacekeeper from Egypt was killed in Mali's northern Kidal region the same day. 

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India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti on Sunday took to Twitter and expressed condemnation, pain, and extended condolences to the families and governments of the dead peacekeepers. 

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Another explosive was found at the scene in Tessalit and disabled, the UN mission in Mali said late Friday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday strongly condemned the attack and said attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

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Four peacekeepers from Ivory Coast lost their lives

Four peacekeepers from Ivory Coast lost their lives due to an improvised explosive device and an attack Wednesday by unidentified gunmen in the Timbuktu region.

The peacekeeping mission has been in Mali since 2013 after Islamic extremists took control of major towns in the north. A French-led military operation dislodged them, but the jihadists have since regrouped in rural areas and expanded their reach. The U.N. says more than 231 peacekeepers in Mali have been killed due to hostile incidents, in what has become known as its most dangerous mission. 

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(With AP Inputs)