Egypt will “temporarily suspend” its participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations in Mali after seven of its troops died in attacks this year, the UN mission MINUSMA said on Friday. Egypt signalled its concerns in New York earlier this week, the mission said in a statement. “We have been informed that, in consequence, the Egyptian contingent would temporarily suspend its activities in MINUSMA from August 15,” said the statement, without detailing how long the suspension would last. MINUSMA — the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali — was launched in 2013 to help one of the world’s poorest countries cope with a bloody jihadist campaign. It is one of the UN’s biggest peacekeeping operations, with 17,609 troops, police, civilians and volunteers deployed as of April, according to the mission’s website. It is also one of the most dangerous UN missions, with 275 fatalities from attacks, accidents or other causes, according to the website.