Two peacekeepers of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were killed and two others were injured when their convoy hit a mine in the northern area of Kidal in Mali.
The mission said in a statement that the two injured Chadian peacekeepers were immediately evacuated after their vehicles hit the explosives about 15 kilometers (9 miles) outside Aguelhok.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and wished the injured a speedy recovery reiterating that attacks on peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law, U.N. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
On Tuesday, the UN Security Council established a sanctions regime on Mali, introducing a travel ban and assets freeze that will apply to individuals and entities engaged in actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the conflict-torn African country.
In the resolution, adopted unanimously, the 15-member body decided to set up a Sanctions Committee, consisting of all the members of the Council, and requested the Secretary-General to create, for an initial period of 13 months, a panel of up to five experts to support the Committee’s work.
The 2015 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali included language inviting the Security Council to adopt measures against those undermining the implementation of the Agreement and the pursuit of its objectives.
Early August, the Government of Mali sent a letter to Egypt, Council President for that month, requesting the creation of a sanctions regime, citing repeated ceasefire violations by armed groups in northern Mali.
The peacekeeping mission in Mali is the deadliest of the U.N. 16 global peacekeeping operations. Last month, gunmen attacked the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters in Timbuktu, killing at least seven people and injuring others.