Dutch minister resigns over deaths of Mali peacekeepers

The Dutch defence minister resigned over the deaths of two soldiers during a training exercise in Mali in 2016.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert stepped down after a report denounced "serious shortcomings" by her ministry. The soldiers died when a mortar grenade exploded unexpectedly during target practice. A third was gravely injured.

The Dutch Safety Board said last week that the military had been using old, defective grenades that had not been tested or stored correctly.

In its report, it said the shells had been bought in 2006 "with the help of the US Department of Defence amid a pressure of time". The defence ministry did not follow its own procedures to check they were safe.

"I am politically responsible and am taking that responsibility," Ms Hennis-Plasschaert told the lower house of parliament in The Hague on Tuesday. She had been expected to play a key role in Prime Minister Mark Rutte's new government.

UCJ, UNILORIN.