UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned the attack against peacekeepers in Mali, which killed three peacekeepers and wounded two others.
"The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the attack against a convoy of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) on the road between Tessalit and Aguelhok, Mali, on October 26," a statement said.
"The members of the Security Council called on the government of Mali to swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice," it said.
Three UN soldiers from Chad were killed and two others wounded by an explosive device as they were escorting a convoy in northern Mali on Thursday, the peacekeeping mission in the West African nation said.
"The secretary-general conveys his sincere condolences to the government of Chad as well as his profound sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims. He wishes a swift recovery to the wounded," the secretary-general's spokesperson said in a statement.
The secretary-general reiterates that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law and calls for the perpetrators of this attack to be swiftly brought to justice, the spokesperson said.
"The secretary-general urges the government and the signatory armed groups to accelerate the implementation of the peace agreement and reaffirms that such attacks will not affect the United Nations' determination to support the Malian people in their quest for peace," the spokesperson added.
The members of the Security Council also reaffirmed that terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
They underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice, said the statement.
More than 80 members of the MINUSMA have been killed since 2013 in attacks by militant groups active in the country's north and center, making it the world's deadliest peacekeeping operation.
