The United Nations says four of its peacekeepers were killed Wednesday when their vehicle ran over a mine in central Mali.
The mission, known by its acronym MINUSMA, said the four soldiers were traveling between Boni and Douentza in the Mopti region. Four other peacekeepers were seriously injured.
Six Malian soldiers were killed Tuesday in the same region in an identical incident.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attacks on the U.N. peacekeepers and Malian forces but insisted that the “cowardly acts” would not deter MINUSMA’s determination to “accompany the Malian people in their quest for peace and stability.”
The 11,000 strong U.N. peacekeeping force has been deployed in Mali since 2013 to counter an Islamist insurgency and general lawlessness.