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In Mali, after Britain, it is Côte d’Ivoire which will gradually withdraw its soldiers from Minusma. Both countries will stop contributing to the UN peacekeeping force, and they will stop sooner than expected. Do these two withdrawals notify others? What do they say about the future of Minusma and its more than 13,000 peacekeepers in Mali?
That Britain’s Withdrawals and off Ivory Coast is only half a surprise. They come earlier than expected and clearly represent a break with the authorities in Bamako, but following a series of recent precedents.
Niagalé Bagayoko, President of the African Security Sector Network (ASSN): “ We had a message about this from Sweden, a threat from Germany. The Egyptians had also temporarily suspended their participation. It is possible that other contingents will decide to withdraw. »
The French Barkhane force itself left Mali this summer. His retirement was announced in February and finalized in August. Technically, the Malian transitional authorities never expelled her, but they had created conditions unacceptable to Paris, making her presence impossible. In particular by questioning the defense agreements that bind the two countries and by resorting to Russian helpers deployed alongside national forces. The latter are qualified as mercenaries of the Wagner group of Paris, which Bamako denies.
Same scenario?
Will the same pattern be reproduced for Minusma and especially for its military part? ” Mali has expressed its reservations regarding certain points of the mandate, and in particular reserves the right not to grant access to some of the requests of Minusma, especially regarding human rights. It is quite difficult to know to what extent the authorities actually want to maintain this force, whose intervention capacity they have taken care to limit. ” says Niagalé Bagayoko.
The mandate for Minusma was renewed in June for one year. By January 2023, less than two months from now, the UN mission plans to prepare a status report that will assess its ability to move and work effectively in Mali.
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