Mali calls for withdrawal of UN mission 'without delay'

African country has been grappling with a security crisis since 2012 due to extremist and separatist uprisings in the north

Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said that the UN had failed to provide 'appropriate responses' to the issues faced by his country. EPA

Mali’s Foreign Minister on Friday called for the withdrawal of the country's UN mission “without delay”.

“The Malian government asks for the withdrawal without delay of Minusma [UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali],” Abdoulaye Diop told the Security Council.

“However the government does stand ready to co-operate with the United Nations in that regard.”

He added that both Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council had failed to provide “appropriate responses” to the issues faced by Malians.

Mr Diop stressed that Minusma has not achieved its primary objective and that Malians prefer to see their own defence and security forces independently undertaking missions.

The Foreign Minister accused France, which holds the file on Mali, of displaying a “hostile” attitude towards his country.

The country has been grappling with a security crisis since 2012 due to extremist and separatist uprisings in the north.

Since August 2020, Mali has been governed by a junta that has severed ties with France and other western allies that had previously worked with Bamako on countering terrorism.

It has also been seeking support from Russia for political and military aid, including asking the paramilitary Wagner Group to help secure parts of the country.

US ambassador to the UN Jeff DeLaurentis highlighted this collaboration between Mali's armed forces and the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group, and urged council members to acknowledge the detrimental impact of military operations on civilians.

“Never has it been more evident the destabilising role of Wagner forces and direct threat they pose to the Malian people and the country's sovereignty,” he said.

Malians are set to vote in a referendum on Sunday to decide whether to endorse or reject constitutional changes aimed at strengthening presidential authority.

The amendments are part of a planned transition from military rule to democracy.

The referendum marks the beginning of a series of scheduled elections leading up to the presidential polls in February 2024, a commitment made by the junta following pressure from regional powers.