2 Chadian peacekeepers killed by colleague in northern Mali

Two Chadian peacekeepers were shot dead and a third lightly wounded by a colleague in northern Mali, the UN mission said on Sunday, less than three weeks after a similar shooting.

The suspect had been arrested and an investigation launched into the "tragic incident" at the camp at Tessalit in the Kidal region, a MINUSMA statement said.

All four soldiers involved in the shooting, which happened on Saturday evening, were part of the Chadian contingent of the force, another Chadian soldier at the camp said.

"In the last month, the men had been shut up. People talk about discipline, but we, we want all our allowances to be paid," the soldier said on condition of anonymity.

In the previous incident on February 25, a soldier also from the Chadian contingent killed his own commander and an army doctor following weeks of tensions over living conditions.

The 2,000 Chadian soldiers of the African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) -- MINUSMA's predecessor -- were at the forefront of a French-led military intervention launched in January 2013 to oust Islamist rebels who had taken over vast stretches of the north in the chaos following a coup.

Dozens of Chadian troops have deserted their posts in disputes over pay and conditions in recent years, complaining that they hadn't been paid in months.

Twenty-nine members of MINUSMA were killed last year and more than 80 were injured, making it the most deadly active mission for the United Nations.
SourcE :AFP