The United Nations mission in Mali, called the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), has officially concluded its 10-year deployment in the country.
This decision to withdraw was made by Mali’s military government, which took control in 2020. The ceremony marking the end of the mission took place in the capital, Bamako, where the UN flag was lowered.
Although the official closure occurred, there are still some elements of the mission remaining.
A “liquidation phase” is scheduled to happen after January 1, involving activities such as handing over any remaining equipment to the local authorities.
In June, Mali’s military government requested the departure of the mission, despite ongoing attacks by armed groups in the Sahel region.
This withdrawal has raised concerns that conflict may escalate between Malian forces and armed groups vying for territorial control.
MINUSMA had a presence of about 15,000 soldiers and police in Mali over the past decade, with approximately 180 members losing their lives in hostile acts.
As of Friday, more than 10,500 uniformed and civilian MINUSMA personnel had left Mali, out of an initial total of about 13,800 staff at the beginning of the withdrawal.
Since the directive to leave, MINUSMA has vacated 13 positions in Mali and still needs to close sites in Gao and Timbuktu in the north.
The Mopti camp, a central Mali location known for violence in the Sahel, was handed over last week.
The withdrawal from this camp, which had hosted peacekeepers from various countries, occurred without major issues, unlike recent withdrawals in Mali’s volatile north, which raised fears of military escalation between the army and rebel groups.
When MINUSMA first arrived, Malians welcomed the foreign soldiers with the hope that they would assist the Malian military in pushing back rebels who had seized large portions of land in the north.
However, after ten years, the peacekeepers are departing with the region still facing instability.
The violence has led to thousands of casualties and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
Since taking power in August 2020, citing increased insecurity, Mali’s government distanced itself from its alliance with former colonial power France.
Instead, it sought closer ties with Moscow and the private military company Wagner Group.
Another military takeover occurred in May 2021. The presence of these mercenaries has garnered criticism from Western countries, who argue that it jeopardizes Mali’s stability.
Despite this, Moscow and Bamako insist that the Russian fighters are merely providing training to local soldiers to combat rebel groups.
