Nine peacekeepers with the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (Minusma) have been killed in an attack by heavily armed gunmen.
The attack on the convoy happened between the north-eastern desert towns of Menaka and Ansongo, according to Minusma spokesman Olivier Salgado.
Arnauld Akodjenou, the deputy head of the mission, said he was "horrified" by the "cowardly" attack.
"Once again, lives have now been lost in the name of peace in Mali. These crimes must not go unpunished," he said in the statement.
"This violence must stop immediately and MINUSMA again challenges all those involved in finding solutions for sustainable peace to take responsibility for a rapid resolution of the crisis that has lasted too long."
Minusma has not confirmed who was responsible for the ambush on the soldiers, who were from niger, but an official told AFP that it was carried out by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao), an al-Qaeda-linked militia.
The peacekeepers were deployed in Mali, after France intervened last year to dislodge militants who had taken control of huge swathes of land in the north of the country.
UN peacekeepers killed in Mali (02 September 2014)