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Canada launches peacekeeping mission in Mali
by Staff Writers
Gao, Mali (AFP) Aug 1, 2018

4 soldiers, 8 'jihadists' dead in Mali ambush: sources
Bamako (AFP) July 31, 2018 - At least four soldiers and eight suspected jihadists were killed Tuesday in Mali when a security patrol was ambushed in the centre of the country, military sources said.

The death toll could yet rise as "two Malian army vehicles and their occupants are still not accounted for," a military source said.

The patrol, which was attacked in the central region of Segou, was attempting to secure procedures relating to Mali's general election, which on Sunday saw some voters prevented from participating by armed groups.

"It was a sophisticated attack. The terrorists launched an ambush and afterwards they fired at the convoy, which defended itself," said a second military source, adding that "eight jihadists" were known to have died.

A local administrative source said "several Malian soldiers" were killed.

Authorities in the capital Bamako say that voting in Sunday's election didn't take place in more than 700 polling stations, including 600 in lawless central regions of the vast, landlocked nation.

Violence marred the lead-up to the election, despite the presence of 15,000 UN peacekeepers, 4,500 French troops and a much heralded five-nation anti-terror G5 Sahel force.

The jihadist violence has spread from northern Mali to the centre and south of the country and spilled over into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, often inflaming communal conflicts.

Canadian armed forces officially launched their peacekeeping mission in restive northern Mali Tuesday, marking Ottawa's return to the blue helmets after more than a decade.

The contingent of 250 soldiers and six helicopters is expected to conduct medical evacuations in the north of the country from Wednesday as they take over from German troops.

"My team and I are extremely proud to wear the blue beret as UN soldiers from Canada," Canadian commander Colonel Chris McKenna said at a ceremony at the UN base in Gao.

"It has been several years since Canada has had a large UN footprint and the pride that we take in hoisting the United Nations flag beside our beloved red-and-white Maple Leaf should not be underestimated," he said.

The Canadian troops, who are on a one-year mission, have been deployed since the start of July at Camp Castor, which also hosts German and Dutch troops.

While Canada originated the concept of peacekeepers in the 1950s, it has not deployed troops on UN peacekeeping missions for more than a decade.

At the start of the year, the UN had only about 50 Canadian peacekeepers. The Malian mission also marks the return of the Canadian military to Africa for the first time since the Rwandan genocide in 1994, when Ottawa lead the UN mission there.

Islamist extremists linked to Al-Qaeda took control of the desert in northern Mali in early 2012, but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013.

However large stretches of the country remain outside of the control of the Malian, French and UN forces, which are frequent targets of attacks.

"It's always a risk being in a dangerous place but we take security measures to protect our military, our citizens so that the risks are minimised," Canadian ambassador Louis Verret told AFP.

The UN mission, MINUSMA, deployed to Mali in 2013 in the wake of the French anti-jihadist operation and comprises some 14,000 military personnel and police.

It is currently the most deadly UN peacekeeping mission, having lost about 170 members including 104 killed in hostile acts -- more than half the UN soldiers killed during this period around the world.


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