The foreign minister of Mali, Abdoulaye Diop, said this weekend that the United Nations peacekeepers will leave northern Mali by December 31, as planned, even though the UN has worries about this.
The United Nations is concerned that its plan to reduce its presence might face problems. This could happen because there’s more fighting in the north, where different armed groups want to take control as the UN leaves. Also, more Malian soldiers are going there. The UN also mentioned that the group in charge hasn’t given permission to bring back its equipment from their bases. This all comes as part of the junta’s ongoing plan to change how security is handled, which began when they took control in 2020.
Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers have begun arriving in the north, local officials told AFP, to replace UN soldiers who the junta has ordered to leave.
Diop emphasized in a video shared on social media that we need to make sure MINUSMA’s work is finished by December 31. He also mentioned in a recording from a meeting in Bamako that the government doesn’t plan to extend this deadline.
More intense fighting has been happening in the northern part of Mali. This involves groups mostly made up of Tuareg people who want to separate from Mali, and the Malian army. Additionally, a jihadist group called the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (connected to Al-Qaeda) has increased their attacks on the Malian army’s bases.
People are worried that the fighting might get worse when the UN peacekeepers leave their camps in Tessalit, Aguelhok, and the separatist stronghold of Kidal. These separatist groups don’t want MINUSMA to give their bases to the Malian military. Diop mentioned that he knows the UN asked for permission to send convoys to collect their equipment from their bases in the north and to use aircraft for safety during this process. He also stated that they are trying to figure out solutions to these issues.
CREDIT:FRANCE24