26 February 2016•Update: 01 March 2016
KIDAL, Mali
A UN peacekeeper in Mai has killed two colleagues after a row flared over their living and working conditions.
The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said late Thursday that the Chadian soldier opened fire on his commanding officer after a heated verbal exchange.
The second man to die was described by Mikado FM, a UN sponsored radio station, as a “collateral victim”.
MINUSMA spokesperson Olivier Salgado said in a statement that the suspect had been arrested and that an investigation is ongoing.
This situation is the consequence of discontent among peacekeepers about their "living and working conditions" in northern Mali, according to MINUSMA security sources speaking on condition of anonymity.
Last year Chadian soldiers deserted their positions in northern Mali twice because of salary arrears.
With 1,151 soldiers and police officers out of nearly 11,700 peacekeepers in Mali, the Chadian contingent is the third-biggest force in MINUSMA behind Burkina Faso (1,742) and Bangladesh (1,725).
MINUSMA was deployed in Mali in July 2013.
