Suspected jihadists have attacked the United Nations (UN) base in northern Mali on Saturday, leaving two peacekeepers and one civilian dead.

The attack on the UN base in Mali comes more than a week after 20 people died in an assault on a luxury hotel in Bamako. Most of the victims were foreigners, according to RT.

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"They fired rockets from around 4am inside the MINUSMA camp," the UN peacekeeping mission's Deputy Chief of Communication Olivier Salgado told Reuters in an interview. "We have three dead and four seriously injured."

A total of 20 individuals were wounded in what is believed to be a mortar attack. The UN carried out medical evacuations after the incident. A UN insider said the two peacekeepers who died were from Guinea.

The incident signifies the rising intensity of Islamist insurgency in Mali. As of now, the country is reeling from the hotel attack on Nov. 20 and the combined forces of France and the UN are still struggling to stabilize Mali.

Jihadists stationed in the desert take advantage of brighter nights and fire rockets and missiles at UN bases in northern Mali. However, the missiles rarely make their way inside the camp.

It is worth noting that two days before the attack, the UN Mali camp received a warning from a certain jihadist organization. Ahmoudene Ag Ikmasse, a local deputy, also thinks Islamists are responsible for the attacks.

The Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI), the Al Mourabitoun, and the Massina Liberatin Front (MLF) claimed responsibility for the attack on the Radission Blu hotel last week. Security analysts believe the three Islamist groups are working together.

There are those speculating that the attack on the UN Mali base may be part of the jihadists' strategy to weaken a peace deal that the Mali government and armed organizations in the north inked in June. Since French troops drove out Islamists from Northern Mali in 2013, the latter have continued to terrorize the area and are starting to target the southern region.

TagsUN Mali Base Attack, Mali Terrorist Attack