Brussels, 07/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 7 October, the European Union condemned in the strongest terms the murderous attack on a convoy of UN peacekeepers from the MINUSMA stabilisation force, which took place in Northern Mali on Friday 3 October - in breach of the ceasefire agreements.
“We strongly condemn the latest attack in the Gao region of Mali on the MINUSMA peace-keeping soldiers, in which nine people from Niger lost their lives. We offer our sincere condolences to their families, as well as to the government and the people of Niger. We pay tribute to the courage of the MINUSMA soldiers, particularly those from Chad and Niger, who have been the target of several attacks over the course of recent weeks”, said a statement from the European External Action Service (EEAS).
“The armed groups operating in Northern Mali have confirmed their commitment on several occasions, the last time in Algiers on 16 September, to cooperating with the United Nations mission so as to prevent hostile attacks - by whomever committed”, the spokesperson states. As negotiations are ongoing, with the support of the international community, “all the parties must ensure that the ceasefire agreements are respected and prevent any act which would aim at halting this process”, the EU says, calling for the end to impunity for the actors of this “serious violation of international law” (our translation throughout). (AN)