The Mali government has explicitly called for the “immediate” withdrawal of the mission from the country, which currently has more than 17,000 members and is one of the largest in the world. The measure was adopted unanimously.
The Security Council of the United Nations Organization (UN) approved this Friday the end of the mandate of its mission in Mali (Minusma) as of June 30 and its withdrawal from the country after 10 years of service. The head of Russian diplomacy renewed “unwavering support” for Mali in a telephone conversation with his Malian counterpart.
Sergei Lavrov “reiterated his country’s unwavering support for Mali, both in the technical-military field and in humanitarian and economic assistance,” reads a statement published on social networks, shortly after the UN Security Council adopt the resolution that puts an end to the MINUSMA mission.
The resolution —prepared by France— was adopted unanimously with 15 favorable votes from all the Member States that make up the Security Council, after the Government of Mali explicitly requested the “immediate” withdrawal of the mission from the countrywhich currently has more than 17,000 members and is one of the largest in the world.
In addition to ending the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) effective June 30, the resolution now approved determines that the mission begins immediately on July 1 the transfer of its functions and the orderly and safe withdrawal of its personnel, ceasing its operations, with the objective of completing this process by December 31 of this year.
The six-month withdrawal period is double what the Malian government has called for, but is shorter than the timeframe UN experts consider realistic for removing all troops involved from the country.
The approved resolution includes the need for the Government of Mali to guarantee the safety of MINUSMA members in this transition period, as well as their freedom of movement, despite the fact that in recent days there have been situations of harassment against some of the military. reported, as denounced by the United States of America.
Also according to the resolution, the assets -vehicles, heavy weapons, among others- must be repatriated in an orderly manner by Minusma and the Government of Mali must collaborate in their dismantling, preventing them from falling into the hands of other actors operating in the area. country.
After the vote, several members of the Council recognized the serious risks that the departure of MINUSMA poses to the security and humanitarian situation in Mali and the broader West Africa and Sahel region.
“While we deeply regret the decision of the transitional government to leave the Mission and the damage it will cause to the people of Mali, we vote in favor of this resolution as We are satisfied with the withdrawal plan that this Council has just approved”said the US delegation.
“The international community will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Mali and denounce violations and abuses. While this resolution marks the end of MINUSMA, the United States’ commitment to the people of Mali remains strong and enduring,” he added.
On June 16, the Government of Mali took Council members by surprise by demanding the “immediate” withdrawal of the peacekeeping mission in the country, at a meeting where the renewal of its mandate was being discussed. On the occasion, the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, assessed that MINUSMA “has become part of the problem” in the country and that it has aroused “great mistrust” between the population and the Government.
Quoted in the statement, Abdoulaye Diop, Mali’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, assured that his government “will adopt all the necessary measures to guarantee an orderly and safe withdrawal of the ‘blue helmets’ as soon as possible.”
According to the minister, the country’s situation in 2023 is worse than 10 years ago —when MINUSMA was implemented—, which demonstrates the “failure” of the mission. However, since last year, the Malian authorities have been restricting the mission’s freedom of movement and opposing its human rights reports.
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The tense relations between the government and the mission, along with the deployment of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group in Mali since late 2021, had already led to the withdrawal of several MINUSMA troop-contributing countries.
MINUSMA was one of the deadliest missions deployed worldwide in this decade, with 304 fatalities in violent actions, almost all in attacks by jihadist groups present in various regions of Mali. The government calling for Minusma’s withdrawal is a military junta that overthrew the former executive of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who had called for Minusma’s implementation.
The Bamako military junta came to power with a markedly anti-Western discourse, which materialized first in the abrupt withdrawal of the French forces, and then in the demand for the departure of MINUSMA. At the same time, it led to the deployment in the country of the Russian Wagner mercenary force, whose activities in Mali are carried out with little transparency.
Source: Observadora
