The last Senegalese troops stationed at the MINUSMA temporary operational base in Ogossagou, Bandiagara region, in central Mali, left the scene on 04 August 2023, following the formal handover of the base to the Malian authorities the day before. This event marks an important step in the withdrawal of MINUSMA from Mali, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2690, adopted on 30 June, at the request of the Malian authorities.
The convoy of nearly 150 Senegalese peacekeepers, who will be repatriated in the coming weeks following the closure of the base, left Ogossagou at 5 am this Sunday 06 August 2023 and arrived safely in Mopti at 10:30 pm.
It should be noted that in February 2022, an improvised explosive device attack on this road killed three peacekeepers. The withdrawal was carried out in close coordination with the military command of the Malian Armed Forces in Mopti and with their support.
The closure of the Ogossagou base is part of the first phase of the Mission’s withdrawal plan. Two other peripheral camps – Ber and Goundam in the Timbuktu region – and Ménaka in northeastern Mali will be closed by the end of August 2023. At the same time, MINUSMA has already reduced its staff in Mali, with 675 military personnel having definitively left the country since 1 July.
The Ogossagou base was created in March 2020, in response to intercommunal clashes that had resulted in the death of many civilians and the displacement of several others, tearing the social fabric. The presence of peacekeepers and the action of the civilian components of the Mission as well as the Regional Reconciliation Support Teams (PRRA), set up by the Malian government, helped reduce violence and paved the way for the signing of a peace agreement on October 8, 2021, by representatives of 12 Dogon and Peulhs villages in the Bankass and Dimbal circles.
This agreement marked a major step forward in the peacebuilding process in Ogossagou. To strengthen this agreement, MINUSMA assisted the Malian authorities in re-establishing local conflict resolution mechanisms and continued to support communities in Ogossagou to strengthen social cohesion and improve their livelihoods, through the implementation of quick impact projects. Significant results have been obtained in this context, including exchanges of visits between communities, restitution of stolen livestock, common management of agricultural and pastoral land, the creation of favourable conditions for women to fetch firewood and the provision of assistance to local populations, including health services provided by military personnel at the base.
“MINUSMA civilian components in Mopti, with the Senegalese battalion, have done much to ensure that communities not only reconcile but also contribute to reviving the culture of peace that existed between them before the tragic events of 2019 and 2020,” said El-Ghassim Wane, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of MINUSMA.
