NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters) – Mali’s interim military authorities on Friday called for a United Nations peacekeeping force to leave “without delay”, citing a “crisis of confidence” between the Malian authorities and the UN mission known as MINUSMA.
It marks a major turning point for the West African country, which has struggled to stem an Islamist insurgency that took root after a 2012 uprising. The UN Security Council deployed MINUSMA in 2013 to support foreign and local efforts to restore stability.
Frustrations over growing insecurity sparked two coups in 2020 and 2021 and the ruling junta has been increasingly at odds with MINUSMA and other international allies, including France.
“Unfortunately, MINUSMA seems to have become part of the problem by fueling intercommunal tensions,” Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told the 15-member council.
“This situation generates mistrust among the Malian population and also causes a crisis of confidence between the Malian authorities and MINUSMA,” he said. “The Malian government calls for the withdrawal, without delay, of MINUSMA.”
Security Council members must adopt a resolution to extend MINUSMA’s mandate by June 30. A resolution requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, Britain or France to pass.
The junta has burned bridges with traditional Western allies and turned to Russia for help boosting its military capabilities. Western governments are concerned about the presence of the Russian private military contractor Wagner.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, told the council on Friday that the peacekeeping mission could only succeed if there was “very close coordination with the host country and respect for Mali’s sovereignty.”
“The real problem is not the number of blue berets but the functions, and one of the key tasks of the Malian government is the fight against terrorism, which is not foreseen in the mandate of the blue berets,” Nebenzia said.
The mission’s priority tasks, as mandated by the Security Council, are to help stabilize Mali by supporting a political transition, protect civilians under threat of physical violence, promote and protect human rights, and create a safe environment for renditions. of humanitarian aid.
Violence has spiked since 2015 with attacks by groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State spreading to Mali’s neighbors in the Sahel region. Thousands dead and more than six million displaced, according to the UN
French UN ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said a UN report to the council had stated that despite the dialogue between MINUSMA and the Malian authorities, UN peacekeeping forces continued to face obstacles in their movements.
“Since Wagner’s arrival in Mali, this restriction has only increased, as have serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,” de Riviere said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres this month recommended that the Security Council extend MINUSMA’s mandate by one year, maintaining the current authorized force of some 15,000 soldiers and police.
When asked about Diop’s comments on Friday, the UN special envoy to Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, said the decision on the future of MINUSMA rested with the council.
“Clearly, peacekeeping operations operate on the basis of host country consent, and in the absence of that consent, operating in a specific country would be extremely challenging, if not impossible,” he told reporters.
Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Additional reporting by Bate Felix; Written by Alessandra Prenticel and Michelle Nichols Edited by Frank Jack Daniel and Grant McCool
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