The UN reported Saturday that improvised explosive devices targeted a UN convoy in Mali's northern Kidal district, killing one Egyptian peacekeeper and wounding four others.

According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the UN peacekeeping convoy in Mali occurred near Tessalit.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Malian authorities to "spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of these attacks so that they can be brought to justice as soon as possible," reiterating that attacks on peacekeepers could be considered war crimes under international law, according to Dujarric.

Guterres underlined the UN's support for Mali's government and people and expressed heartfelt sympathies to the family of the Egyptian soldier martyred, as well as the Egyptian government and people, and wished the injured a swift recovery.

Since 2012, Mali has been battling an extremist insurgency. With the support of a French-led military campaign in 2013, extremist rebels were driven from power in Mali's northern cities. On the other hand, the insurgents swiftly regrouped in the desert and began attacking the Malian army and its partners, battling the rebellion regularly.

The radicals have spread their influence throughout central Mali, inflaming tensions amongst ethnic groups in the region.

Since 2013, when Islamists took control of significant towns in Mali's north, the UN peacekeeping presence has been there. It is the most dangerous time for peacekeepers.