The Malian Government demands all UN peacekeepers leave the country immediately
BAMAKO, Mali (GlobeAfrique) — The United Nations has been actively involved in peacekeeping efforts in Mali through the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which was established by Security Council Resolution 2100 of 25 April 2013.
The peacekeeping mission has been challenging due to the complex nature of the conflict in Mali, which involves Islamist extremist groups, ethnic militias, and criminal networks, all operating in a vast and challenging terrain. The mission has faced numerous attacks resulting in casualties among peacekeepers, making it one of the most dangerous UN missions in the world.
On Friday, Mali’s top diplomat demanded that all U.N. peacekeepers who have been in Mali fighting with an Islamic insurgency for more than a decade leave immediately, claiming they had failed in their mission.
Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop requested in a speech to the United Nations Security Council. He said the U.N. mission had not achieved its objectives and was sowing distrust among the people.
Mali has struggled to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. Extremist rebels were forced from power in Mali’s northern cities the following year with the help of a French-led military operation. Still, they regrouped in the desert and began attacking the Malian army and its allies.
The U.N. peacekeepers — a contingent of more than 15,000 — came in a few months later in what has become one of the most dangerous U.N. missions in the world. According to the U.N, at least 170 peacekeepers have been killed in the country since 2013.
