BAMAKO: More than 100 peacekeepers from the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) have been infected with the novel coronavirus and two have died, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday.
"Mali has not been spared by the virus, and neither has our peacekeeping mission on the ground," Guterres told a UN Security Council meeting. "More than 100 United Nations personnel have been affected. While many of them have recovered, two peacekeepers lost their lives. We mourn this loss."
Guterres added that the novel coronavirus outbreak in Mali has exacerbated the already extremely challenging situation there as terrorists and other armed groups are attempting to capitalize on the health emergency.
Mali has reported 1,722 novel coronavirus cases and virus-related 97 fatalities, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.