Malian Military Helicopters Rain British UN Troops With Six Rockets, Piloted By Russian Soldier?

JAKARTA - A Malian army helicopter fired several rockets 'close' to British members of the UN peacekeeping force in the country, the UK Ministry of Defense and the UN said.

The incident was the first of its kind between Mali, backed by Russian troops, and UN peacekeepers, a UN source told AFP, citing The National News on April 13.

"We are aware of a recent incident in Mali, where rockets were fired by a Malian Armed Forces helicopter, close to a detachment of British personnel," a Ministry of Defense spokesman said.

"All UK personnel are safe and responsible, and the circumstances surrounding this incident are being investigated."

The shooting took place in the Tessit area, near the town of Gao, about 950 kilometers northeast of the capital Bamako.

According to a diplomatic document seen by AFP, the Malian army helicopter fired six rockets. The document said almost all Mali helicopters were flown by Russian with a Malian co-pilot.

The statement questioned whether some contingents of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (Minusma) could survive if Russian troops were involved?

Last week, Richard Mills, United States Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, criticized the "unacceptable" incident on March 22, when a Malian helicopter "fired a rocket near peacekeepers in eastern Mali".

Meanwhile, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

Separately, a team from the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan is ready to go to Moura in central Mali, as soon as authorities allow access by air to the area, he said.

According to another diplomat, paramilitaries from the Russian company Wagner are suspected of being involved in this incident along with the Malian army.

It is known that France and other western countries have condemned the alleged use of Russian private security groups by the Malian authorities. Malian authorities say they do not use mercenaries.

Mali is the epicenter of an insurgency that began in the north in 2012 and spread three years later to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso. Thousands of people across the region have died, with about two million displaced.

Attacks have been carried out by groups claiming to be affiliated with Al Qaeda or ISIS, but many civilian casualties have also been caused by so-called self-defense forces.

Minusma began serving in the sub-Saharan state in 2013. The peace mission has 16,500 personnel, mostly soldiers, plus police and civilians, according to its website.

The United Nations says the mission has suffered the most casualties of all its peacekeeping operations, with hostile acts resulting in 159 deaths as of October 31.

The Malian army has been accused of carrying out a massacre in the central city of Moura in March, with the participation of Wagner's mercenaries.

Human Rights Watch said Malian troops and foreign fighters killed 300 civilians in Moura, in what it called "the worst single atrocity reported in Mali's decade-long armed conflict".

Minusma's mandate expires in June this year. Several contributing countries are reviewing their troop participation in light of recent developments in Mali.

Meanwhile, the European Union on Monday decided to halt its military training mission in Mali but will maintain a presence in the sub-Sahara.