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| Suicide Attack at Military Camp in Mali Kills Scores | Suicide Attack at Military Camp in Mali Kills Scores |
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| GAO, Mali — A suicide bomber in a vehicle filled with explosives led an attack on a military camp in northern Mali on Wednesday, killing at least 60 people. | GAO, Mali — A suicide bomber in a vehicle filled with explosives led an attack on a military camp in northern Mali on Wednesday, killing at least 60 people. |
| Many of the casualties were soldiers and former fighters who reached a peace agreement with the government in 2015 and had been working together to try to stabilize the region. | Many of the casualties were soldiers and former fighters who reached a peace agreement with the government in 2015 and had been working together to try to stabilize the region. |
| There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Suspicion fell on Islamic extremist groups that operate in the area and oppose the peace agreement. | There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Suspicion fell on Islamic extremist groups that operate in the area and oppose the peace agreement. |
| The attack occurred in the morning at the Joint Operational Mechanism base in the city of Gao. Dismembered bodies could still be seen two hours after the blast. | The attack occurred in the morning at the Joint Operational Mechanism base in the city of Gao. Dismembered bodies could still be seen two hours after the blast. |
| Late on Wednesday, the office of Mali’s president put the death toll provisionally at 60, with 115 more wounded. | Late on Wednesday, the office of Mali’s president put the death toll provisionally at 60, with 115 more wounded. |
| Dr. Sadou Maiga of the hospital in Gao told The Associated Press that dozens of injured people had been brought there. “Some have died from their wounds, and others are in a very grave state,” he said. “At this point, it’s not the toll of dead and injured that interests me, it’s saving who I can.” | |
| Witnesses said the car full of explosives got into the camp around 9 a.m., just as hundreds of fighters were gathering for a meeting. An army spokesman, Col. Diarran Kone, said the driver “succeeded in tricking soldiers’ vigilance.” | |
| The attack was a setback for peace efforts in northern Mali, illustrating the scale of the challenges that remain four years after a French-led military intervention to drive jihadists from power in the region’s major towns. The peace agreement that followed has proved difficult to carry out. | The attack was a setback for peace efforts in northern Mali, illustrating the scale of the challenges that remain four years after a French-led military intervention to drive jihadists from power in the region’s major towns. The peace agreement that followed has proved difficult to carry out. |
| “If the security situation continues to deteriorate, then soon there won’t be any peace to keep in Mali,” the United Nations chief of peacekeeping, Hervé Ladsous, told the Security Council, which discussed Mali on Wednesday. Mr. Ladsous said terrorist attacks there are becoming more sophisticated, and he reminded the Council that it had the power to impose “targeted measures” against violators of the cease-fire. | |
| The former fighters who signed the 2015 peace deal include secular ethnic Tuareg rebels who once fought the Malian military. They are now supposed to be joining the army in joint patrols in the area, though the program has yet to begin. | The former fighters who signed the 2015 peace deal include secular ethnic Tuareg rebels who once fought the Malian military. They are now supposed to be joining the army in joint patrols in the area, though the program has yet to begin. |
| Mali has now become the deadliest of the United Nations peacekeeping missions. Twenty-nine peacekeepers were killed last year in attacks attributed to jihadist groups, according to a Human Rights Watch report released on Wednesday. | Mali has now become the deadliest of the United Nations peacekeeping missions. Twenty-nine peacekeepers were killed last year in attacks attributed to jihadist groups, according to a Human Rights Watch report released on Wednesday. |
| At the United Nations, the Malian foreign minister, Abdoulaye Diop, said the “criminal, cowardly, barbaric attack” in Gao would not stop the government from promoting peace. | At the United Nations, the Malian foreign minister, Abdoulaye Diop, said the “criminal, cowardly, barbaric attack” in Gao would not stop the government from promoting peace. |
| President François Hollande of France visited a French military base in Gao last week. He condemned the attack on Wednesday “in the strongest terms” and said France continued to support the peace process in Mali. |