The Armed Forces also offered its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Furthermore, the statement affirmed that the Armed Forces’ role in maintaining international peace and security stems from its full belief in the importance of peace and coexistence and the elimination of terrorism under the umbrella of the UN.

For its part, the UN also condemned the attack, noting that it is the second time this week that a peacekeeping convoy in the West African country has been targeted.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric — on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres — said that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers are considered war crimes under international law.

The UN chief also called on the transitional authorities in Mali to “spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this attack so that they can be brought to justice swiftly,” Dujarric added.

The Malian state has struggled to regain control of some of its territory from a jihadist insurgency that began in the country’s north in 2012 and has since spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

The ever-spreading hostilities have so far claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.