The United States has expressed concern about the possibility of Mali’s violence escalating, in light of attacks on UN peacekeepers.
The attacks, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, were “unacceptable,” and he denounced such violence and the larger threat posed by armed actors operating” there.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, Minusma, announced on Monday that deteriorating security had forced it to leave the northern town of Ber earlier than usual.
It claimed that two attacks on its withdrawing forces resulted in some of the soldiers being injured.
According to the US State Department, the attacks show the threat of worsening violence “and the importance of all Malian parties settling their differences peacefully”.
It continues, saying that “it is critical that Minusma be permitted to conduct its withdrawal in a safe and orderly manner, and we call on the transition government to cooperate fully until the final Minusma element departs “.
Source-BBC
