The UN peacekeepers in Mali are about to depart after the country’s foreign minister, Abdoulaye Diop, demanded their prompt departure when addressing the UN Security Council on June 16.
Diop asserted that the UN’s presence in Mali has only made matters worse and damaged relations between the local populace and the peacekeeping force. He also charged that the peacekeeping force has failed to address the ongoing insurgency by extremist groups there for more than ten years.
In his comments on Friday, Diop claimed that MINUSMA appeared to have contributed to the problem.
Following the request by UN specialists to look into the acts of Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor, and the alleged human rights violations by government forces, tensions have developed between Mali and the UN.
Concerns have been raised about the suspected killing of hundreds of people over many days in the central Mali village of Moura in late March 2022, according to a statement issued by UN experts.
According to reports, military soldiers thought to be associated with the Wagner Group were present with the Malian armed forces. The reports have been regarded reliable by the experts.
In response to the allegations of human rights violations in Moura, Malian authorities have denied any wrongdoing. They have refuted claims that civilians were killed and have accused the investigation of being based on a “fictitious narrative.”
According to a statement released by the government’s spokesperson Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga in May, no Moura residents had perished as a result of the military action.
In order to advance a safe and prosperous future for the nation while pursuing peace and security, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was founded in 2013.
Its operations in Mali began at a turbulent time when the country was torn apart by a complex web of interrelated factors, including racial unrest, political unpredictability, and the rise of insurgents organisations.
The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2100 paving the way for the establishment of MINUSMA to provide support for the stabilization of Mali, safeguard civilians, and encourage national dialogue and reconciliation.
A variety of military, police, and civilian personnel from many cooperating nations make up the MINUSMA operation. Prior to recently, they collaborated extensively with regional actors and Malian authorities to accomplish their goals.
The mission and the ruling regime, however, have recently been at odds, particularly in the wake of the military’s coups in 2020 and 2021, which took place nine months apart.
The MINUSMA spokesperson Olivier Salgado was ejected from Mali in 2022, and the mission’s group rotations were temporarily put on hold.
A senior member of the peacekeeping operation in Mali was declared persona non grata earlier this year in February, and was given 48 hours to leave the country.