Mali’s foreign minister called Friday for the UN Security Council to withdraw the peacekeeping mission in his country “without delay,” denouncing its “failure” to respond to security challenges. The country’s military rulers have increasingly imposed operational restrictions on peacekeepers and also broke Mali’s longstanding alliance with former colonial power France. “The government of Mali calls for the withdrawal without delay of Minusma,” the name of the United Nations force in Mali, said Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop. DivisionsUN chief Antonio Guterres in January put forward three options for amending the mission, from an increase in personnel to a withdrawal of troops. After the Security Council meeting, Minusma’s head told reporters that conducting UN peacekeeping operations was “nearly impossible” without the consent of the host country.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 17, 2023 03:59 UTC