U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that he is “outragedâ€‌ by an attack that resulted in the death of five Chadian peacekeepers in Mali, calling for an immediate halt to such violence.
Ban’s office said in a statement that the five soldiers were killed and three others were injured Thursday when their truck was hit by an explosive device.
“The Secretary-General is outraged by the attack,â€‌ the statement said. “These continued assaults against the United Nations must cease immediately.â€‌
The attack cast a shadow over peace talks in the Algerian capital between the Mali government and six armed rebel groups aimed at making a lasting peace deal in the deeply divided nation.
“The Secretary-General calls on the armed groups meeting in Algiers to take immediate action on their declaration to collaborate with the (U.N.’s Mali mission) in the prevention of these cowardly attacks,â€‌ the statement said.
Thursday’s attack brings the total number of peacekeepers killed in Mali to 21, according to the United Nations.