APA – Bamako (Mali) – The UN mission must withdraw from Mali by 31 December 2023 at the latest.
The head of UN peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, travelled to Bamako at the end of last week to meet the highest authorities on the process of the orderly withdrawal of the Integrated Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Prior to this meeting with the authorities, he also travelled to Mopti to see how the United Nations could continue its support even after the withdrawal of the mission on 31 December at the latest.
To this end, Mr Lacroix held talks with the United Nations country team in the country and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel. It was in this context that he held a working session with the UN staff in Mali before expressing the organisation’s gratitude “for their dedication and sacrifice over the years in the service and support of the Malian people.”
A chaotic withdrawal
For the moment, the withdrawal process is proceeding normally, even if incidents are occurring in places. Of the dozen bases that MINUSMA plans to hand back to the Malian authorities before 31 December, at least three have been released. These include Ogossagou, in the center of the country, and Ber and Goundam in the Timbuktu region.
According to Mr Lacroix, the next base to be handed over to the Malian authorities is Menaka, scheduled for the end of August. Then there will be the bases in the far north, such as Kidal, Tessalit and Aguelhok, in the Kidal region. There also the bases in Ansongo, Gao, Douentza, Mopti and Timbuktu before moving on to Bamako, which has a base at the airport in addition to the Minusma HQ.
However, this withdrawal will not be so easy, given the recent deterioration in the security situation. Already, at the time of the early withdrawal of the MINUSMA from the Ber base in the Timbuktu region, violent clashes broke out between the Malian army, which was preparing to occupy the site, and ex-rebel fighters who had controlled the town until then. During this period, in addition to elements of the movements involved in the peace process, the Malian military also clashed with Islamist militants from the al-Qaeda affiliated ‘Groupe de Soutien à l’Islam et aux Musulmans’ (Support Group for Islam and Muslims, GSIM) on the outskirts of the town of Ber, where at least four soldiers were killed. As they withdrew from the Ber base, MINUSMA peacekeepers suffered at least two attacks, one of which resulted in the injury of at least four members of the Burkina Faso contingent.
World’s deadliest UN mission
The UN mission deployed in Mali since 31 July 2013 is the deadliest in the world. As of 30 June, an estimated 309 peacekeepers had been killed. It is also the most expensive mission, with an annual budget of 1.2 billion dollars.
The Fifth Committee, which is responsible for administrative and budgetary matters, has disbursed 590 million dollars for the withdrawal, which must take place within six months, i.e. before 31 December – a deadline deemed insufficient for a UN mission of its size. This sum was also deemed insufficient by UN officials, given the scale of the operational, environmental and political challenges involved in ending such a mission.
MD/ac/fss/as/APA