Members of a U.N. police unit in the West African country of Mali used “unauthorized and excessive force” in fatally shooting three civilians and wounding four others during a protest in January, the U.N. announced on Thursday. It was one of the most serious incidents of violence by peacekeepers in the past decade, the Washington Post reported.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “expresses his deepest apologies” to the victims and their families and is committed to ensuring justice for them, the statement said.
The U.N. statement did not mention the nationality of the peacekeepers, who are from Rwanda, a major U.N. troop contributor. They will be repatriated in the next few days, U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told reporters.
The inquiry found that some protesters bear responsibility for the violence, which also wounded five U.N. police officers. It said protesters used Molotov cocktails, threw stones and tried to “breach the perimeter” of the base.