Death of Two Soldiers from the Egyptian Battalion of the Peacekeeping Force in Mali

The spokesperson for the United Nations mission in Mali (MINUSMA), Olivier Salgado, announced the death of two peacekeeping personnel in an explosion caused by an improvised explosive device in the central part of the country. The security official stated that the soldiers were part of the operational Egyptian battalion. The spokesperson also mentioned that two other soldiers were injured. The explosion occurred near Douentza (central) along the road leading to Timbuktu (north), marking the second and third peacekeeping personnel killed within three days. A Jordanian soldier had previously succumbed to injuries from small arms fire or a rocket launcher while in a convoy on Wednesday in Kidal (north). With over 12,000 soldiers deployed in this country, which has been mired in crisis since the outbreak of a jihadist and separatist rebellion in 2012, MINUSMA is the United Nations mission that has suffered the highest number of casualties in the world. Since its establishment in 2013, 174 peacekeeping personnel have been killed in hostile actions.