Sweden’s military announced on Thursday that it will be a pullout of troops, numbering about 220 soldiers, from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali in June 2023, a year earlier than planned.
The European country did not present a specific explanation for the pullout of troops, although it has previously stated that the presence of its military was becoming untenable due to the involvement of Russian contractors, who have been criticised by European countries.
“In recent times, conditions have changed in the country, but until our last soldier is home, we continue to conduct operations just as usual,” the Swedish Armed Forces said in a statement.
A request for comment from the mission, known as MINUSMA, was not immediately returned. In late 2021, it had roughly 12,000 troops on the ground.
A bigger withdrawal of European forces from Mali has occurred, led by former colonial power France, which announced last month that it was withdrawing its anti-militant group after nearly a decade of fighting Islamist insurgents.
Mali is headed by a military junta that conducted coups in 2020 and 2021 and has broken a commitment to hold early elections, weakening its Western ties with other countries