In some areas of Mali and the Sahel for more than ten years, there have been rebel groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIL.
The statement didn’t go into additional detail about the attack’s timing or the perpetrators, only stating that the ambush happened in the remote Nara area of Mali’s southwest Koulikoro province.
It further stated that the delegation’s driver was still unaccounted for.
Mali is one of several West African countries battling armed groups during the past decade.
Rebels linked to al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) armed group have seized swaths of territory across the region, killed thousands and displaced millions.
In January, fourteen Malian soldiers were killed and 11 wounded in two separate attacks in central Mali after their vehicles struck explosive devices.
Frustrations against the authorities’ failure to quell the violence have spurred two military takeovers in Mali since 2020.
In 2022, French troops completed a withdrawal from Mali as relations soured between both countries due to two coups and the perceived ineffectiveness of the foreign military in tackling rebel activity.
There have also been growing tensions between the UN mission and Mali’s military government following the alleged arrival of Wagner Group operatives from Russia to bolster government forces.
