More than 13,000 peacek­eepers are deploy­ed in Mali as part of UN peacek­eeping missio­nBAMAKO: 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 spokesperson in Mali condemned what he described as a vile and cowardly attack and called for a “robust” response. A diplomat in northern Mali told AFP that several of the attackers had also been killed. More than 13,000 peacekeepers are deployed in Mali as part of a UN mission that was established after militias seized northern Mali in 2012. Earlier this month, both France and the United States criticised the authorities in Mali for their failure to stem the worsening violence.

Source: The Express Tribune January 20, 2019 15:00 UTC