Mali's former prime minister Moussa Mara said Chinese peacekeepers under the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were more than bringing peace to the West African country.

"Chinese peacekeepers are not only a force of peace, they are also a force of development. They understand that maintaining peace not only means weaponry and sending soldiers, but also means improving the livelihoods of locals, winning their hearts," Mara said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Saturday.

"China not only provides military and defense assistance to Mali, it extends help to the hearts of Malians," Mara said.

In his eyes, China is good friend of Mali and a country that helps Mali the most.

His remarks came after the MINUSMA camp in Gao, northern Mali came under a terrorist attack on Tuesday, which killed a Chinese peacekeeper and injured five others.

Mara said he deeply regretted the casualties suffered by the Chinese peacekeepers and offered his condolences to the Chinese contingent, wishing the injured speedy recovery.

"The terrorist attack did not target China. It targeted peace. The purpose of the terrorists was to depress those who help Mali and return the country to crisis," Mara said.

Mara also recalled his trip in May 2014 to Gao when he was prime minister and shared his impression of the Chinese peacekeepers.

According to him, what impressed him the most were the strict discipline of the Chinese peacekeepers, and their contributions in various areas such as logistics, engineering, sanitation and health services as well as urban construction in Mali.

He said that the Chinese military have established mutual trust and cooperation with the locals.

"The people in Gao quickly learned that Chinese peacekeepers are dear to them. The Chinese peacekeepers, through their actions, demonstrated that they were not imperialists who pressed the Malian people. Instead, their mission in the country was to relieve their pains and help them get rid of the crisis," Mara said.

The former prime minister said that maintaining peace would remain the top task for the Malian government over the next five years.

He hoped that the Chinese government will continue to provide help to Mali and maintain its peacekeepers in the country.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali is the world body's deadliest active mission. More than 60 of its personnel have died on active service since it was set up in 2013 following a rebellion in the country by ethnic Tuareg fighters alongside armed groups.

China started contributing its peacekeepers to MINUSMA in 2013. Currently, nearly 400 Chinese peacekeepers are based in Gao, carrying out security, engineering and medical work.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2016)