PARIS, April 23 (Xinhua) -- France strongly condemned assaults targeting MINUSMA peacekeeper forces and local soldiers in Mali, stressing that the responsible "must be prosecuted", the French foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
France "reaffirms its support for the Malian authorities in their fight against terrorism, as well as for MINUSMA, which has a key role to play in Mali's stabilization", the ministry said.
"The perpetrators of these attacks must be prosecuted and held accountable for their actions," it added.
On April 20, an Egyptian MINUSMA peacekeeper in the Mopti region wad killed and others were wounded when a mine exploded as their convoy passed through central Mali.
A day later, gunmen attacked a Malian army base in Guire district in west-central Mali, killing 11 Malian soldiers.
The MINUSMA, or UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, was established in 2013 in order to support political processes in Mali, to ensure security, stabilization and protection of civilians and to promote human rights in the African country.
