UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The members of the United Nations Security Council on Monday condemned "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attacks on the camps of the UN mission in Mali, which killed nine people.
The council members called on the government of Mali to swiftly investigate those attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice, said the council in a statement.
The council members underlined that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.
In Monday's attacks on the camps of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (Minusma) in Douenza and Timbuktu in Mali, a UN peacekeeper from Togo, a Malian soldier, a member of the Malian gendarmerie as well as six Malian contractors were killed. A number of others were wounded, including a UN peacekeeper.
The council members reiterated their full support for Minusma and the French forces that support it. They reiterated their strong support for the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, and for Minusma to assist the Malian authorities and the Malian people in their efforts to bring lasting peace and stability to their country.
They expressed their concern about the security situation in Mali and urged the Malian parties to fully implement the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali without further delay. They noted that a full implementation of the peace agreement and an intensification of efforts to overcome asymmetric threats can contribute to improving the security situation across Mali.
The council members reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, urging all states to combat terrorism by all means.
