UN peacekeeper killed in Mali

A United Nations soldier was killed and several others sustained injuries in two attacks on UN peacekeeping forces in Mali on Sunday, reported Al Jazeera.

Gunmen attacked the UN troops in Timbuktu, where several armed groups are active, according to Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Meanwhile, three UN soldiers from Chad were injured in northern Kidal region near the border with Algeria when their vehicle drove over an explosive device.

Condemning the violence and expressing his condolences to the family of the killed UN soldier from Nigeria, Guterres said such attacks on UN soldiers could be considered war crimes under international law.

An UN-backed peace agreement in 2015 was signed between the Government of Mali and various armed groups, which however failed to stabilise the febrile central and northern regions of the northwest African country.

Since their deployment in 2013, more than 190 peacekeepers have died in Mali, including nearly 120 killed by hostile action.

Mali has experienced sporadic attacks on armed forces since the 2012 coup that helped separatist rebels and groups associated with al-Qaeda gain a foothold in the country's restive north.