Mali: 3 MINUSMA Wounded During Withdrawal

The Malian army announced its control of a military barracks in the town of Bir, near the city of Timbuktu, after the withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping forces, which announced that 3 of its members were injured during the withdrawal process.

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The United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said that its convoy, which withdrew from the northern town of Bir on Sunday, was attacked twice. The mission added that the three wounded were taken to Timbuktu for medical care.

MINUSMA warned that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

For its part, the Malian army said that it lost 6 of its soldiers during the control operation of the Bir military barracks, while 24 militants were killed.

The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CAM) announced that it repelled an attack by the Malian army and Wagner mercenaries on the region a few days ago, and described the army's attempts as a violation of the peace agreements signed between the two parties.

The tweet reads, "Retrocession of UN MINUSMA camps. In general, UN MINUSMA facilities can only be transferred to the Malian State. In this context, the UN is in discussions with the Malian authorities on an agreement being drawn up to oversee the transfer of UN peacekeeping camps. At the same time, at each departure of MINUSMA from a camp, the designated representative of the Malian authorities must attest to the state of the camp and facilities, as well as confirm our compliance with environmental obligations. In the words of Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary General."

CAM is one of the parties that concluded a peace agreement with the Malian government, which was signed in Algeria in 2015.

The United Nations Mission in Mali announced, on Sunday, that it withdrew ahead of schedule from the Bir barracks due to "the deterioration of security in the area and the great risks that this poses to our soldiers."

The mission called on "the various actors concerned to refrain from taking any action that would further complicate the process."

The withdrawal of the Burkina Faso soldiers participating in the UN mission from the Bir barracks comes within the framework of the complete withdrawal of the United Nations forces from the country by the end of the year. The soldiers from Burkina Faso handed over the Ogosago barracks in central Mali on the third of August.

Thus, the mission implements the UN Security Council resolution adopted at the end of last June to end the MINUSMA mission in response to Bamako's desire.

About 11,600 soldiers and 1,500 policemen of dozens of nationalities are scheduled to withdraw from Mali by December 31.

Mali's relations with the United Nations have deteriorated sharply since the 2020 coup brought in a military regime that also halted cooperation with France, the former colonial power.