A/HRC/28/83 region, as well as basic social services in the State. Efforts to restore the rule of law throughout the country, particularly in the regions worst affected by the conflict in the north, obviously suffered a considerable setback. 24. The jihadi movements took advantage of the authorities’ delay in relaunching the final peace talks and re-establishing civilian State authorities in northern Mali, the slowness with which MINUSMA deployed its forces in that region and the reconfiguration of Operation Serval into Operation Barkhane, which extends across the Sahel, to regroup themselves. Since then these groups have been waging asymmetric warfare with suicide attacks, improvised explosive devices, sometimes also rocket fire, first against the Malian armed forces and soldiers of Operation Serval, and more recently against the United Nations forces. 25. On account of this new vulnerable situation, at the time of the Independent Expert’s third visit, MINUSMA already seemed to be one of the most deadly peacekeeping operations, with a total of 23 peacekeepers killed and 100 injured, including with disabling injuries. 26. Furthermore, the relationship between the Government and separatist groups in the north took a radical turn with the announcement of the visit of the Prime Minister and other senior officials of the Malian Government to Kidal in May 2014. On 16 May 2014, during a demonstration against the visit, a crowd of around 100 MNLA supporters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at members of the Malian Government’s security forces and the United Nations police responsible for restoring public order at Kidal airport. 27. On 17 May 2014, the Prime Minister’s delegation finally arrived in Kidal. The Prime Minister visited the camp of the Malian armed forces and went to the governorate for a meeting with officials from the regional authorities and community and civil society leaders from Kidal. Subsequently, heavy fighting broke out between armed elements of MNLA and the Malian armed forces for control of the Kidal governorate building. 28. The toll of the fighting, which ended with the seizure of the governorate by members of MNLA and HCUA, is a matter for concern: 11 deaths, including 8 civilians and 3 members of the Malian armed forces, 34 civilians in arbitrary detention and material damage. Following the clashes, the governorate was vandalized, stormed and looted by the members of MNLA and MAA, who were joined later by the civilian population. The Government of Mali, in a statement issued on 17 May 2014, described the events of Kidal as a declaration of war and promised that an appropriate response would follow. The Government condemned the killing of eight civilians and called for the establishment of an international commission of inquiry to shed light on the events. 29. On 21 May 2014, after fortifying its positions, the Malian army launched a military offensive against the MNLA, HCUA and MAA positions in Kidal. Light and heavy gunfire were used to take control of the town. After heavy fighting, lasting about three hours, armed groups took over the barracks of the Malian armed forces, forcing them to retreat out of Kidal. When the fighting ended 36 persons had been killed, including 32 members of the Malian armed forces and 4 members of the armed groups, and 93 had been wounded. Fortyfive members of the Malian armed forces had been captured and were being held by armed groups; and administrative buildings and civilian homes had been vandalized and looted. 30. Such events have significantly worsened the security situation in the north, where Malian armed forces have retreated from their positions and terrorists and armed groups are gaining ground and still circulating and running their operations. This is compounded by banditry by armed groups, including militia forces and other unidentified groups. GE.15-00252 7