The junta has rallied behind Russia and brought in the paramilitary Wagner Group to meet its security needs. The UN Security Council on Friday voted to end a decade-old peacekeeping mission in Mali as demanded by the country's military junta. The French-drafted resolution, adopted by a 15-0 vote, ordered the mission, known as MINUSMA, to immediately start the withdrawal of over 15,000 personnel. The vote came two weeks after Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop called the UN operation a "failure" and urged its end. "The abrupt end of the entire UN mission is bitter news for the people in Mali to whom the mission gave protection and hope."

Source: The North Africa Journal July 01, 2023 19:22 UTC