Militants Kill 10 Peacekeepers in Attack on UN Mission in Mali

(Bloomberg) -- Militants operating in northern Mali killed 10 Chadian soldiers and injured 25 others in one of the deadliest attacks on the United Nation’s peacekeeping mission in the west African nation.

An unknown number of assailants in armed vehicles struck the base in Aguelhok in northern Mali on Sunday morning, according to a statement from the local UN peacekeeping mission. Peacekeepers pursued the attackers and killed “a number of assailants,” an official with the UN mission said Sunday.

Mali is struggling to restore state authority in the north since a 2012 Islamist insurgency, which has spread to the country’s center. The Aguelhok camp houses a contingent from Chad, which has one of the region’s most efficient armies, and is an important ally in the fight against militants looking to expand their influence in the Sahel region.

Chad is the second-largest troops contributor to the 15,000-strong peacekeeping mission in Mali, with 1,450 soldiers. Burkina Faso has the most troops, according to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. The mission has reported a total of 177 fatalities.

--With assistance from Daniel N'doh Nadjitan.

To contact the reporter on this story: Katarina Hoije in Abidjan at khoije@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Davis at abdavis@bloomberg.net, Chitra Somayaji

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