BREAKING: Attack on UN base in Mali, eight peacekeepers killed

Gunmen killed at least eight Chadian UN peacekeepers in an attack Sunday on one of their bases in northern Mali , a source close to the MINUSMA force said .“ According to a new toll , still provisional , at least eight peacekeepers have been killed , ” the source said .

The attack happened early Sunday at the Aguelhok base 200 kilometres ( 125 miles) north of Kidal and towards the border with Algeria , the source added .

A Malian security source spoke of at least six killed and 19 wounded, while a diplomat in northern Mali told AFP that several of the attackers were also killed .

An attack at the same base last April killed two peacekeepers and left several others wounded.

More than 13 , 000 peacekeepers are deployed in Mali as part of a UN mission that was established after Islamist militias seized northern Mali in 2012 . They were pushed backed by French troops in 2013 .

A peace agreement signed in 2015 by the Bamako government and armed groups was aimed at restoring stability to Mali following a brief Islamist takeover in the north .

But the accord has failed to stop violence by Islamist militants, who have also staged attacks in Burkina Faso and Niger.
Earlier this month , both France and the United States criticised the authorities in Mali for their failure to stem the worsening violence .

AFP .

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