MALI: UN denounces deadly attack on peacekeepers

An attack in the north of the Mali which left no fewer than three soldiers dead and four others seriously injured has been condemned by the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the West African country.

Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali said those responsible for what he called a cowardly terrorist act must be apprehended and put on trial.

The attack occurred on Sunday when troops from Chad were on a patrol in the Kidal Region when their convoy hit a roadside bomb.

This development came after the President of Mali; Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has declared a nationwide curfew over COVID-19.

He made the announcement on Wednesday March 25, after the country recorded its first two coronavirus cases.

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The two persons, who were discovered to have the virus on Wednesday, are Malian nationals, a 49 year-old woman from Bamako and a 62 year-old man living in Kayes.

They were said to have arrived in the country from France on March 12 and 16, respectively.

The patients are currently being taking care of by the country’s health authorities.

Keita, who quickly gave a television address, said the government would enforce a curfew between 21:00 to 05:00, from Thursday and close land borders to prevent the spread of the virus.

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