Mali’s security situation remains volatile and marked by pockets of terrorist violence with devastating consequences for civilians.
The UN chief also recalled that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.
Mali is struggling to stem an Islamist insurgency that took root after a 2012 coup and has since spread from the West African country’s arid north.
Mr Ngefa was already outside Mali when the decision was announced.
The situation in Mali continues to justify sustained international attention and engagement, a top UN official El-Ghassim Wane told the Security Council
The peacekeepers were killed, and another injured, when their Armoured Personnel Carrier hit an improvised explosive device outside the town of Douentza.
On Monday on government forces, at least two soldiers died in the northern region of Gao, just three days after another clash with insurgents left 27 dead.
UN believes the situation “would have been far worse” without the engagement of the international community.
A MINUSMA vehicle hit an improvised explosive device near Tessalit of the Kidal region.
