UN peacekeepers in northern Mali fire tear gas as protest threatens base

BAMAKO (Reuters) - United Nations peacekeepers in the town of Gao in northern Mali fired tear gas on Tuesday to prevent crowds from storming a U.N. base, a witness and a U.N. spokesman said. The witness said he saw U.N. troops fire tear gas as several thousand people protested outside the base. He said at least one person had been killed, apparently by gunfire. Olivier Salgado, spokesman for the U.N. mission, could not confirm the use of live rounds. He said peacekeepers had fired tear gas after a crowd of about 1,000 people started throwing rocks and tried to force their way into the base.