By Easwaran Rutnam
Sri Lankan peacekeepers will remain in Mali despite the attack last week in which two soldiers were killed, Army spokesman, Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said.
Brigadier Atapattu told The Sunday Morning that there has not been any discussion on withdrawing the troops from Mali.
He said that steps are now being taken to transfer the remains of the two soldiers who were killed back to Sri Lanka.
Atapattu also said that the soldiers who were injured were being taken care of in Mali and they are unlikely to return to Colombo.
Meanwhile, on Friday night members of the UN Security Council expressed their deepest condolences in a statement and expressed sympathy to the families of the victims, as well as to Sri Lanka and to The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Council members wished a speedy and full recovery to those injured and paid tribute to the peacekeepers who risked their lives.
The 15-member body called on the Government of Mali to swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice. They underlined that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.
The Council stressed that: “Involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against MINUSMA peacekeepers constitutes a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, had also strongly condemned the attack which led to the deaths of two ‘blue helmets’ from Sri Lanka and injured six others.
Guterres conveyed his deep condolences to the Government of Sri Lanka, and the families of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
A peacekeeper from Burkina Faso was also injured in a separate IED attack against another convoy near the same area, on Thursday.
Sri Lankan peacekeepers will remain in Mali despite the attack last week in which two soldiers were killed, Army spokesman, Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said.
Brigadier Atapattu told The Sunday Morning that there has not been any discussion on withdrawing the troops from Mali.
He said that steps are now being taken to transfer the remains of the two soldiers who were killed back to Sri Lanka.
Atapattu also said that the soldiers who were injured were being taken care of in Mali and they are unlikely to return to Colombo.
Meanwhile, on Friday night members of the UN Security Council expressed their deepest condolences in a statement and expressed sympathy to the families of the victims, as well as to Sri Lanka and to The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Council members wished a speedy and full recovery to those injured and paid tribute to the peacekeepers who risked their lives.
The 15-member body called on the Government of Mali to swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice. They underlined that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.
The Council stressed that: “Involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against MINUSMA peacekeepers constitutes a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, had also strongly condemned the attack which led to the deaths of two ‘blue helmets’ from Sri Lanka and injured six others.
Guterres conveyed his deep condolences to the Government of Sri Lanka, and the families of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
A peacekeeper from Burkina Faso was also injured in a separate IED attack against another convoy near the same area, on Thursday.