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The representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Mali confirmed that the firm commitment of the mission to the Malian people remains the same: it aims to achieve peace, security, and reconciliation, as it has been doing for ten years.
The United Nations reports a new attack on the convoy of the United Nations Peace Mission MINUSMA in the municipality of Tessalit in northern Mali.
The explosive device was located by the UN convoy 8 kilometers from their military base. The UN contingent received almost 20 attacks with this type of weapon, which since January have caused a total of five deaths and 31 injuries.
The United Nations Organization has expressed on several occasions its concern about the attacks on troops by "non-terrorist" organizations. The UN mission tries to adopt a conciliatory tone that indirectly calls for greater collaboration and the exchange of information provided by the Malian Army.
However, the attacks have only increased since political discrepancies led the government to request the progressive withdrawal of MINUSNA collaboration in the country.
The decision to withdraw the contingent was conditioned by a report issued by the UN itself. The report referred to the massacre of more than 500 people in March 2022 in the city of Moura, in which the responsibilities of the government army were recognized. For its part, the government rejected the report, accusing the international organization of meddling in the internal affairs of Mali and of spying on the actions of its army by satellite.
The UN Security Council ends its peacekeeping mission in Mali. The UN members voted unanimously to immediately wind down the mission, despite fears by Western powers of new instability in the troubled nation.
Since then, and due to these differences, the MINUSNA convoy has been targeted with hostile treatment by the army of Mali. A few days ago, it suffered another attack with mines, this time 21 kilometers from the base, without causing any casualties or injuries.
MINUSMA was established a decade ago, following rampant insecurity in the north of Mali and a failed military coup by extremist militants, which led to the signing of a peace deal between the government of the day and armed group coalitions, in 2015.
MIMUSNA had been deployed in Mali for ten years. In 2022 it had 13,289 military personnel and 1,920 police officers. On July 1, it began the withdrawal of its troops and the cessation of operations, for which it has been transferring its tasks to the Malian authorities. The UN peacekeeping mission is set to fully exit the West African country by December 31.
However, the task of transferring its work, as well as the security of its personnel, have been affected by the constant complaints that accuse it of being an entity that interferes with national sovereignty. The mission has been facing a hostile reaction from various sectors of the Malian population, which has hindered the flow of communication and the transfer of responsibilities.
Despite all this, the representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Mali, El Ghassim Wane, confirmed that the firm commitment of the mission to the Malian people remains the same. He stressed that it aims to achieve peace, security, and reconciliation, as it has been doing for ten years.
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