At least 18 blue helmet soldiers were injured in an attack in the African crisis-hit state of Mali. In addition, two civilians were injured in the attack on the Tessalit base in the north of the country, said spokesman for the UN MINUSMA mission, Olivier Salgado. It is a „preliminary balance sheet“.
The camp was attacked with 15 mortar shots, according to an internal UN report. According to Salgado, the shots hit the camp and its surroundings.
The Tessalit military camp is close to the Algerian border. A UN blue helmet contingent from Chad, soldiers from the French “Barkhane” mission and Malian units are stationed in the base.
Islamists in power
The Sahel state of Mali has not come to rest for years. Islamist groups took control of the north of the country in 2012. The former colonial power France intervened militarily in 2013 and pushed the Islamists back.
The presence of the military in the region has been particularly controversial since the death of 13 French soldiers in a helicopter collision in Mali in late November. The Austrian army also participates in the UN stabilization mission MINUSMA – with two soldiers – and in the EU training mission EUTM in Mali with just under 50 people.
