- By Laurence Peter
- BBC News
4 hours ago
picture description,
UN troops in Kidal, Mali
Mali’s foreign minister has called on the UN to withdraw its peacekeeping force from his country “immediately”.
Abdoulaye Diop accused the Minusma force of “having become part of the problem and fueling inter-communal tensions”. He gave a speech to the UN Security Council.
Minusma has more than 13,000 soldiers. Its decades-old mission has failed to stop the spread of jihadist violence.
Russian Wagner mercenaries now support Mali’s military rulers.
Western officials have accused Wagner of human rights abuses in Ukraine and parts of Africa, and last month the US announced sanctions against Ivan Maslov, whom it described as Wagner’s top official in Mali.
Wagner has not commented on the Western allegations and his activities in Mali and other parts of Africa remain classified.
Minister Diop’s criticism of Minusma followed earlier Malian objections to France’s longstanding involvement in Mali. The alliance with the former colonial power France failed last year.
Mr Diop spoke of a “crisis of confidence between the Malian authorities and Minusma” and said “the Malian government demands the immediate withdrawal of Minusma”.
Minusma’s mandate is due to end on June 29, but UN chief Antonio Guterres has recommended reconfiguring the mission to focus on a few limited priorities.
When asked about Mr Diop’s comments on Friday, UN special envoy for Mali El-Ghassim Wane said: “We are guided by every decision.” [Security] The advice may take time.
However, he added that without the host country’s consent, “it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to operate in a given country”.
A report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights accuses Malian forces and “foreign security personnel” of killing more than 500 people in an operation in the village of Moura in central Mali in March last year. Both the governments of Mali and Russia condemned this report.