The UN Security Council ends the peacekeeping mission in Mali. The MINUSMA peacekeepers and police will have left Mali by the end of the year. In the meantime, the largest UN peacekeeping force can only take care of its departure; it will no longer have a mandate to provide political support or to investigate human rights. And from 1 October onwards, peacekeepers will no longer have the right to protect civilians.
In two minutes, 15 arms rose and the Security Council dismantled MINUSMA after almost a decade of peacekeeping in Mali. Contrary to tradition, France, which coordinates the dossier, did not comment on the vote. It was the Ghanaian ambassador who immediately recognized his crucial role in securing the country. He reminded the Malian junta of its responsibilities vis-à-vis its neighbors, hopes a better coordination with the ECOWAS and already announces that the G5 Sahel will be affected by the departure of the MINUSMA.
Mali regrets that the Council regards the situation as threatening
Then a group of ambassadors, led by the United States, warned that this withdrawal would “hurt” Malians on the front lines. “Although we regret the decision of the transitional government to abandon MINUSMA and the fact that it will harm the people of Mali, we voted in favour of the resolution as we are satisfied with the withdrawal plan adopted.”said US representative Jeffrey DeLaurentis after the vote.
They called on the transitional authorities not to break the electoral process, and to cooperate fully at the outset: any hindrance, any chaos, could benefit the terrorists, they said. The United Nations also fears that their bases will simply be taken over by the Wagner paramilitaries in six months.
Malian ambassador Issa Konfourou tried to reassure on the conditions of withdrawal, which will be refined over the next 6 weeks. The Government of the Republic of Mali will ensure that the commitments made in this regard are respected. The Government regrets that the Council continues to regard the situation in Mali as a threat to international peace and security, despite the tangible results achieved on the ground by the Malian armed forces and the return to the peaceful and secure constitutional order.”
While the Malian representative emphasized the military failure of MINUSMA, he nevertheless recognized the usefulness of the force in terms of humanitarian assistance and the good offices of the Secretary General.
The most expensive UN mission
On 16 June, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, speaking before the Security Council about the “failure” of the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA), called for its “immediate withdrawal”.
The Security Council, which was preparing to examine a possible renewal of the mandate, therefore had to resolve to sign the death sentence of the most expensive UN mission ($1.2 billion a year) which has about ten bases spread over the territory. It was created in 2013 to help stabilize a state in danger of collapse under jihadist pressure, protect civilians, contribute to the peace effort and defend human rights.
Relations between Bamako and the mission had deteriorated significantly since the military took power in 2020.
The sequence was an unexpected acceleration of the history of MINUSMA. We did not expect such a sudden end. We could have, because of this acceleration, a divorce in the heartbreak. And finally, what we have tonight is a formal divorce contract, adopted by consensus. Even if there are regrets on both sides. It remains to be seen whether this contract will be applied to the letter, under what conditions…
Moscow renews its “unwavering support” for Mali
The head of Russian diplomacy renewed his “unwavering support” to Mali in a telephone interview with his Malian counterpart just after the announcement of the withdrawal of the UN mission (MINUSMA) in the country, according to a statement issued on Friday by the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sergei Lavrov “renewed his country’s unwavering support for Mali in both the military-technical and humanitarian and economic assistance fields”., writes the communiqué published on social networks shortly after the adoption by the UN Security Council of the resolution ending MINUSMA.
