A jihadist organization close to Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack a few days ago against a convoy of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), in which two peacekeepers died, in the Timbuktu region.

The Organization for the Support of Islam and Muslims (OIS) ambushed a UN convoy west of the city of Ber on Friday, the propaganda platform Az Zalaka reported, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, a US think tank specializing in monitoring extremist organizations.

Az Zalaka spoke of dead and wounded in the ranks of the UN peacekeeping force, without specifying their number.

A patrol was targeted in a complex attack near Ber, in Timbuktu district, hit by a mine and then fired upon, MINUSMA said. The attack caused the death of two members of the force, Burkina Faso soldiers, and the injury of seven others, according to the UN.

Mali has been reeling from the spread of jihadist activity and violence since separatist insurgencies broke out in its north in 2012. The violence has spread to neighboring countries, notably Burkina Faso and Niger. Attacks and atrocities are attributed to organizations close to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, paramilitary civil defence groups, wrongdoers, and tactical forces.

MINUSMA, which maintains some 12,000 troops deployed in the country, is systematically attacked by jihadists, who target the foreign presence as well as symbols of the state.

Since its formation in 2013, at least 187 members have been killed in hostile action, making it the UN mission that has suffered by far the highest number of casualties worldwide.

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