MALI: Suicide bomb near a Malian military camp in Timbuktu leaves four people dead and several wounded

Record ID: 354019

  • Title: MALI: Suicide bomb near a Malian military camp in Timbuktu leaves four people dead and several wounded
  • Date: 29th September 2013
  • Summary: TIMBUKTU, MALI (SEPTEMBER 28, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) ENTRY TO THE MALIAN ARMY CAMP WHERE THE BOMB EXPLODED HOLE IN GROUND CAUSED BY BOMB EXPLOSION FRENCH SOLDIER WITH OPERATION SERVAL STANDING WITH SHOVEL NEAR BOMB SITE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS MULTIDIMENSIONAL INTEGRATED STABILIZATION MISSION IN MALI (MINUSMA), BRIGADIER GENERAL ESSIEN KOKO, WALKING DEBRIS
  • Embargoed: 14th October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mali
  • Country: Mali
  • Topics: Crime,General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA6FJ32X5HEMEE0R16VNYWSX049
  • Story Text: At least four people were killed and several others wounded in a suicide car-bomb attack in Mali's northern city of Timbuktu on Saturday (September 28).
    It is the first bomb attack since a summer presidential election aimed at turning the page on months of chaos in Mali following a Tuareg uprising that led to a military coup and the occupation of the north by Islamist militants.
    The attack also comes a few days after Tuareg separatists pulled out of a ceasefire agreement and peace process with the new Malian government.
    Witnesses said the suicide bombers detonated their vehicle near the Malian army camp in Timbuktu, killing both occupants of the vehicle and two passerby.
    Mali's army spokesman told Reuters in the capital Bamako that the two suicide bombers and two occupants of a transport cart were killed.
    Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) brigadier general Essien Koko said the attackers could have been helped from inside the town.
    "First of all we are going to do an investigation in how this happened. But one thing you must understand is - we are in a state of war, technically. And whatever is happening here, we understand that sometimes people may infiltrate. But I want to assure you that both the Malian forces and MINUSMA forces deployed in Timbuktu are in a very serious state of alert. We may not be ruling out any possibility that there were some people inside the town that helped them. But, like I said, we need to do our investigation, find out what happened. But we have learnt lessons from this and we also know how we are going to strengthen our security," said Essien Koko.
    The U.N. has approved a force expected to number about 12,600 soldiers and police officers once fully deployed, to help stabilise and secure the country.
    Mali's new President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has promised to make security a top priority as the country battles remnants of Islamist militants who had occupied the north of the country for over nine months.
    A French-led ground and air offensive in January drove out the Islamists but pockets remain in the vast sahel nation, about twice the size of its former colonial master, from where they have carried out insurgent attacks.
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