At Least 9 Peacekeepers Injured in Attack on UN Mission’s Camp in Mali

A mortar or rocket attack launched on MINUSMA camp in Timbuktu, Mali killed one person and injured at least nine peacekeepers.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A mortar or rocket attack launched on the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) camp in Timbuktu, Mali killed one person and inflicted injuries on at least nine peacekeepers, the UN mission said in a statement Wednesday.

"The provisional figures show nine injured among the peacekeepers, including four seriously [wounded] who are on their way to be evacuated to Bamako," the statement said, adding that one yet unidentified person was killed.

The statement noted that, according to preliminary reports, six projectiles were fired at the camp at 13:15 GMT.

The UN mission, established by the UN Security Council resolution 2100 of April 25, 2013, aims at stabilizing the country and protecting civilians.

Mali faced a military coup in 2012, when President Amadou Toumani Toure was overthrown due to his failure to deal with a Tuareg separatist uprising in the country. The revolt attracted various Islamist groups to the state. After the coup, the power was transferred to a transitional government. Incumbent Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita assumed the office in 2013.