Ban Ki-moon Condemns Killing of Senegalese Peacekeeper in Mali

UNITED NATIONS, October 8 (RIA Novosti) - After another deadly attack on UN peacekeepers in northern Mali, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the killing of Senegalese peacekeepers by rocket fire on Tuesday at a French-UN military camp in the northern Malian town of Kidal.

Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that he was "outraged by today's [Tuesday] attack that took place in Mali and that killed one Senegalese peacekeeper and wounded another," adding that, "this attack brings the total number of casualties from hostile acts since July 1, 2013 to 31 peacekeepers killed and 91 peacekeepers wounded."

This is the second attack in five days against the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, where unidentified assailants launched approximately six explosive rounds towards the Mission's camp in Kidal, according to Ban Ki-moon's statement.

Another attack in the Kidal Region on September 2 killed four peacekeepers and wounded 14 others. Earlier on August 16, Ban-Ki Moon condemned the killing of two UN peacekeepers in a suicide-bomb attack in Ber, Mali's Timbuktu region, leaving at least seven wounded.

In June in Aghelhoc, also in northern Mali, four UN peacekeepers were killed.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council is set to consider these attacks on the mission in Mali. "On the eve of the Security Council's consideration of the situation in Mali, the Secretary-General reminds all parties of their responsibility to prevent attacks against United Nations' peacekeepers. He [Ban Ki-moon] underscores that a political solution is the only way to bring sustainable peace and stability to Mali," the UN press release read.