Mali: UN mission renews call for calm after two demonstrators killed in Kidal

19 April 2016 - The United Nations mission in Mali renewed its call for calm as well as its commitment to the implementation of the peace process following a demonstration yesterday morning in the Kidal region in the north of the country, in which two demonstrators were killed and four others were wounded.

"MINUSMA [UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali] strongly deplores the loss of lives, offers its condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured," the Mission said in a statement.

The Mission said that yesterday morning at about 10 a.m., a violent demonstration took place in Kidal, where demonstrators, some equipped with molotov cocktails, broke onto the airstrip secured by MINUSMA, ransacking and setting fire to secured facilities.

The Mission said it remains committed to establishing the facts, and that a board of inquiry has been set up.

"Its work is currently under way and the conclusions should enable to identify the origin of the gunfire. MINUSMA intends to take its share of responsibility, if applicable," the Mission said.

Kidal's airstrip is an essential asset for supplying humanitarian aid, providing support to local communities, as well as supporting the operations of MINUSMA and its partners. The airstrip and the airport facilities had been rehabilitated by MINUSMA earlier this year, following months of work and heavy financial investments.

"MINUSMA calls to everyone's sense of responsibility," the Mission stressed, adding that it has regular contacts with Malian authorities and leaders of local communities in order to ease tensions, and noting the appeal for calm issued by the Coordination des Mouvements de l'Azawad (CMA).

"MINUSMA renews its call for calm and its commitment to the implementation of the peace process alongside Malians," the Mission said.