Explosions Rock UN Camps in Mali
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The twin explosions erupted in the northern Malian city of Gao, affecting MINUSMA.
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UN forces in Mali
Twin explosions rocked UN camps in Gao, northern Mali, causing material casualties without any casualties.
The blasts shook UN missions barracks in Mali - MINUSMA - forcing the occupants to take refuge in shelters for two hours.
The French army reported only material damage. However, it said it had no information on the possible perpetrators of the blast.
MINUSMA spokeswoman Myriam Dessables said two other camps in the north had been targeted with mortar fire on Saturday, causing no damage.
Aujourd’hui 5/12 une attaque de mortiers a visé vers 6H le camp de la MINUSMA à #Gao et hier à #Ansongo sans faire de victimes. Une attaque par #EEI hier à #Tassiga dans le cercle de Ansongo a blessé deux #Casquesbleus.#Mali 🇲🇱 #A4P #ServingForPeace pic.twitter.com/LZ5Av8bTSX
— MINUSMA (@UN_MINUSMA) December 5, 2021
The latest violence in the West African country comes after a Friday attack took the lives of 31 people near the central town of Bandiagara.
Mali has been in conflict since 2012, a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives over its nine years.
French troops had first launched Operation Serval and intervened in Mali in 2013 under the pretext of "ending the control of extreme Islamists" that started in 2012 in some Malian towns.
However, the instability continued even within the French presence. The UN also has a military presence in the African country, and the conflict has engulfed central Mali and spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
France, the former colonial power in Mali, had said it will reduce its troop numbers in the Sahel.
Mali Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga accused France of abandoning his country with its decision to withdraw troops.
The prime minister also mentioned that this decision has forced his government to seek "other partners," in a reference to Mali having asked private Russian companies to maintain security in the country.
