Third Sri Lankan peacekeeper injured in Mali in serious condition

One Sri Lankan peacekeeper of the six injured in the attack in Mali is currently in serious condition. A Chinook medical evacuation helicopter airlifted the wounded to a medical facility where they are currently being treated.

The mine attack on Friday (25) left two Sri Lankan Peacekeepers dead when a Remote Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) detonated close to the armored per- sonnel carrier they were traveling in.

The two Sri Lankan ‘blue helmets’ who were killed in the line of duty have been named as Captain Dinesh Jayawickrama of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry and Corporal S S Wijekumara of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment. They were part of the 1st Combat Convoy Company assigned to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The remains of the deceased military personnel are expected to be repatriated to Sri Lanka in the next few days.

The Sri Lankan peacekeepers had been escorting a UN convoy around 6 am on Friday near Douentza, in the Mopti region, central Mali when their vehicle hit the mine. The attack came just days after 10 Chadian peacekeepers were killed and 25 injured in an attack on a UN camp in northern Mali. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) had claimed responsibility for the attack on the Chadian peacekeepers. No one had claimed responsibility for the RCIED attack on the Sri Lankan peacekeepers at the time of printing.

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, strongly condemned the attack. Mr Guterres conveyed his “deep condolences to the Government of Sri Lanka, and the families of the victims,” and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. “These cowardly acts will not deter MINUSMA’s determination to support the people and Government of Mali in their pursuit of peace and stability,” a statement issued by his spokesman read. Mr Guterres called on the Malian authorities to “spare no effort” in identifying the perpetrators of Friday’s attack, so that they can be brought to justice as swiftly as possible. His statement also pointed out that targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

MINUSMA was established in April 2013 and has become one of the deadliest UN peacekeeping missions. According to UN figures, as of December 31, 2018, 177 UN peacekeepers have died in Mali. The two latest attacks brings the total to 189 deaths.