Mali: UN pays tribute to fallen Guinean peacekeepers

The United Nations has paid tribute to seven Guinean peacekeepers killed in an extremist attack on their base last week by the jihadist fighters.

The U.N’s mission chief in Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, led the team on Wednesday to pay last tribute to the fallen soldiers including a woman in Bamako.

The attack on Minusma, a U.N camp, took place on Friday in Kidal, a town located in Northeastern Mali.

Ansa Dine, an Islamist jihadist group claimed responsibility for the attack. Seven victims were paraded at the United Nations headquarters with the missions flag on display before laid to rest.

“They have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend the values of peace against the barbarians characterized by hatred and chaos,” said Mahamat Saleh.

“These sacrifices further strengthen our determination to the quest for a definitive peace in this country by the full implementation of agreement for peace and reconciliation in Mali,” he added.

The Minusma mission, launched in July 2013, has been the most deadly for the U.N. since a deployment to Somalia during the civil war between 1993 and 1995.

Northern Mali has continued to experience violence from the Tuareg-led rebels and Jihadists groups linked to Al-qaeda.