Eurasia Press & News
France on Wednesday condemned a fresh attack a day earlier against the UN stabilisation force in Mali in which a Senegalese was killed. Since September, several African volunteer forces in the UN mission have been killed and a number wounded.
Soldiers from Chad and Nigeria have been among earlier victims of terrorist attacks.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Senegalese was the latest victim of the attacks taking place usually in northern Mali, where remnants of rebels groups remain active.
France sent around 4,000 troops to Mali beginning in January 2013 to support the Malian government which was under attack from Islamist militant groups linked with Al-Qaeda and which had associated initially with Tuareg tribes.
The Al-Qaeda for an Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group and its allies had taken over around half of Mali in the north and were heading southwards to the capital Bamako when the French forces intervened.
France is gradually replacing its 4,000 troops in Mali but these are also staying in the region for anti-terrorist operations outside of the UN mandate.
“France again praises the commitment of the UN Mission for Stabilisation in Mali (UNMISMA) and welcomes the commitment to the United Nations force, particularly from Senegal,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said.
