In fresh evidence the threat of violence in Mali -- and , specifically , attacks directed at international forces -- has n't gone away , two U.N. peacekeepers died and nine others were hurt in a suicide attack Saturday , the U.N. mission there said . The U.N. mission in the West African nation is there to guard against militant Islamists , which have been in the country for years and recently threatened to move on the capital , Bamako . While there was no immediate claim of responsibility , the recent spate of attacks suggests such a threat is still very real -- especially when one considers that Saturday 's attack is the third against U.N. personnel in the past week . A motorist Saturday targeted a U.N. patrol base in Ber , a village in northern Mali not far from Timbuktu . Two U.N. peacekeepers were seriously wounded when their vehicle struck a mine on Thursday , and another peacekeeper was hurt in a separate mine incident , MINUSMA said . `` Such violence is senseless , the MINUSMA pays too much of a toll in Mali , '' David Gressly , deputy special representative of the secretary-general , said in a statement . `` These attacks reinforce our determination to continue our mission alongside the Malian people . '' Islamist extremists carved out a large haven in northern Mali in 2012 , taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party MNLA . Islamist militants take advantage of chaos . These forces -- including al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb -- began advancing toward Bamako in early 2013 . Their initial success prompted international military intervention that included forces from Chad and France , which was Mali 's former colonial ruler . With fighting on the ground and airstrikes from above , these allied forces managed to significantly stymy the Islamist extremist fighters . France : Senior Islamist militant killed in Mali . Protesters lash out at peacekeepers in Central African Republic . Dozens killed in attack on peacekeepers ' base in South Sudan .
al Qaeda : In addition to the 9 killed , 9 are wounded in a suicide attack near Ber . It is the third time there have been casualties among U.N. personnel in 2012 . Militants took advantage of post-coup chaos in past week , spurring international intervention .