UN Security Council slams deadly attack on blue helmets in Mali

The UN Security Council on Thursday "condemned in the strongest terms" an attack against a UN mission in Mali, which killed a Liberian peacekeeper and injured others.

The attack targeted a camp of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in Timbuktu on Wednesday and it was claimed by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims), the UN Security Council said in a press statement.

"The members of the Security Council called on the government of Mali to swiftly investigate these attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice," the statement said. "They underlined that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law."

The council members expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, as well as to the government of Liberia and to MINUSMA, the statement said. "They paid tribute to the peacekeepers who risk their lives."

"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," and that "perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism" must be brought to justice, the statement said.

MINUSMA has become a frequent target of terrorist attacks in Mali and is known as the most dangerous active UN mission. It is tasked to support and monitor the implementation of a peace deal in Mali.

Mali has suffered instability for years and the country's peace process has been slow and fragile. Endi