The UN Security Council withdrew the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) on Friday, handing security over to Mali’s transitional government. According to the passed resolution, MINUSMA will begin removing its personnel from Mali on July 1 and finish by January 1 of 2024.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for: the full cooperation of the transitional Government for an orderly and safe withdrawal of the mission’s personnel and assets in the coming months and to continue honouring the ceasefire as MINUSMA withdraws.
Following a coup in 2012 and an armed insurgency in the north, the UN Security Council established MINUSMA in 2013 to safeguard the political process in Mali. When the mission was first established, it was supposed to work with Malian forces or carry out its activities independently to advance and defend civilians at risk of physical harm. The UN Security Council extended MINUSMA’s mandate for another year in 2022, making it easier for MINUSMA to begin executing the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali. The objective has mostly been effective, with support for the referendum in 2023 being one of its most prominent achievements. However, MINSUMA has been the target of numerous criticisms, including claims of violations and intercommunity tensions.
The security council has authorized MINUSMA to provide humanitarian aid until September and to use force in response to immediate threats of violence. However, a few council members have voiced reservations about the mission’s cancellation. These worries have been raised in light of the recent spike in Sahel hostilities and inter-communal tensions stoked by climatic change and international trafficking. The council members reaffirmed that foreign aid to Mali will continue even when MINUSMA departs.
The Malian government has also expressed gratitude to MINUSMA and made a commitment to safeguard the lives and means of subsistence of all citizens of the nation. Additionally, the government pledged to ensure that the terms of the mission’s disengagement were followed within the predetermined timeframe.
