Mali: 9 Malian soldiers killed in ambush in northern Mali

Bamako, Mali (PANA) – Twenty-three Malians, including nine soldiers, were killed on Monday in Tin-Telout on the Timbuktu-Goundam road, in the northern part of the country, in an ambush laid by the rebels of the National movement for Azawad Liberation (MNLA), reliable sources told PANA.

The rebels also seized three out of the eight vehicles in the convoy of the victims before destroying one of them.

That attack was carried out days before the signing, on Friday in Bamako, of a peace deal between the government and the armed groups in Northern Mali.

In a statement, received by PANA here on Tuesday, the Malian ministry of Defence encourages the Malian armed forces in their mission to defend the national territory and protect the people and their properties.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has strongly condemned the attack which is, according to the organization, a violation of the ceasefire deal signed on 23 May 2014.

It urged all parties to show their commitment towards the signing of the peace deal on 15 May, 2015.
-0- PANA GT/JSG/MSA/VAO 12May2015