U.N. peacekeepers - The African Mirror

Jan

2024

Violence in disputed Sudan-South Sudan border area kills 54

MORE than 50 people including women, children and two U.N. peacekeepers were killed in attacks along South Sudan's border with Sudan, officials said, the deadliest in a spate of incidents since 2021 related to a boundary dispute. Armed young men from South Sudan's Warrap State carried out the raids into the neighbouring Abyei region on Saturday, Bulis Koch, the information minister for Abyei, said on Monday. Abyei is an oil-rich area jointly administered by South Sudan and Sudan, which have both staked claims. Koch told Reuters that 52 local people, among them women, children and police officers, were killed during…

Oct

2023

By The African Mirror

South Africa recalls U.N. peacekeepers accused of sexual misconduct in Congo

NEWS

THE South African National Defence Force has recalled eight U.N. peacekeepers deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo following allegations of sexual misconduct against them, it said on Sunday. The soldiers were part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo, known as MONUSCO, and sources first told Reuters about the alleged abuses last week. In a statement released on Sunday, the SANDF said it was "unfortunate" that South Africa first learned about the allegations in the media, and that proper reporting procedures were not followed. "Due to the serious nature of the allegations, the SANDF took a decision to recall the…

Jun

2023

By The African Mirror

Analysis: Mali faces spectre of anarchy after demanding UN’s departure

NEWS

EDWARD MCALLISTER and DAVID LEWIS MALI'S demand for the departure of U.N. peacekeepers heralded a sudden end to a decade-long mission that has struggled to protect civilians and its own troops, raising fears the country could slide deeper into chaos amid an Islamist insurgency and the possible revival of a separatist uprising. The U.N. mission, known as MINUSMA, has been hobbled by restrictions on its air and ground operations since Mali's ruling junta joined forces with Russian military contractor Wagner Group in 2021, limiting its effectiveness against an Islamist insurgency that took root a decade ago and has since spread across…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Three U.N. peacekeepers killed, three injured in Mali attack

NEWS

THREE United Nations peacekeepers were killed and three others seriously injured when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in northern Mali, a U.N. spokesperson said. Islamist militants, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, have been waging an insurgency in northern Mali for the last decade. The peacekeepers were on a mine search and detection patrol in the northern commune of Tessalit, in the Kidal region, when they were hit, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters. "We send our deepest condolences to the families of the peacekeepers, to our colleagues in the mission and we wish a speedy…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

U.N. peacekeepers deployed to northeastern Mali amid spate of killings

NEWS

PAUL LORGERIE THE United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali has deployed two units to the African country's tri-border area with Burkina Faso and Niger to respond to a spate of civilian killings, it said. A surge in attacks since early March by an Islamic State affiliate has left hundreds of civilians dead, according to official and military sources. The region has long been a hotspot of jihadist and militia violence in West Africa. "The security situation in the Tri-border area... particularly in the localities of Tessit, Talataye, Ansongo and the Menaka region, has deteriorated considerably in recent weeks," said the…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

15 U.N. peacekeepers wounded in Mali

NEWS

FIFTEEN U.N. peacekeepers, including several from Germany, were wounded in northern Mali yesterday in an attack on their camp involving a vehicle-borne explosive, the U.N. mission in Mali and the German military said. The attack targeted a temporary base set up by the peacekeepers near the village of Ichagara in northern Gao region, where Islamist insurgents linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State are active. The wounded were being evacuated, the U.N. mission said in a post on Twitter without giving further details. Several German soldiers were among the wounded, a spokesman for the German military said. The U.N. mission…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Russian contractors accused of abuses

NEWS

U.N. experts expressed alarm yesterday over reports of executions and other abuses by Russian security contractors in the Central African Republic and over their close contacts with U.N. peacekeepers. Russia first sent security contractors to CAR in 2018. It stepped up its support late last year to help the government fend off a rebel advance launched before the December 27 presidential election. Since then, the contractors have accompanied national forces as they retake towns from the rebels, CAR's government has said. The contractors include members of Russia's Wagner Group, the U.N. experts said in a statement. Wagner Group members have…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

20 U.N. peacekeepers injured in Mali

NEWS

TWENTY United Nations peacekeepers were injured, including several seriously, in central Mali yesterday when their base came under fire, a U.N. mission spokesman said. The base near the town of Douentza was attacked, a spokesman for the MINUSMA mission, Olivier Salgado, told Reuters. He did not say who was responsible. Islamist militant groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic States regularly attack U.N. peacekeepers and Malian soldiers in the area. "The MINUSMA chief firmly condemns the attack and has ordered that all measures be taken to treat the wounded," Salgado said. Deployed since 2013, the U.N. currently has over 14,000…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Fearing violence, shops shut, people hunker down before Central African vote

NEWS

ANTOINE ROLLAND PANIC has gripped the streets of Central African Republic's capital Bangui with businesses closing and people holing up in their homes as the country braced for a general election that has stoked the embers of violence. Rwanda and Russia have sent military aid to help the government restore calm as security forces and United Nations peacekeepers battle rebels who have occupied towns and roads outside the capital. Russia, seeking to increase its influence in Africa, is an ally of President Faustin-Archange Touadera, a relationship often seen as a threat to the influence of former colonial power France in…