Mali

The head of an association known to be close to the military in power in Mali was placed in police custody on Monday in Bamako, after calling for respect for the duration of the transition before civilians return to command. Adama Ben Diarran, known as "Ben the Brain", heads the Yerewolo-Debout sur les Remparts association, which actively supports the military who rule Mali after overthrowing President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta on August 18, 2020.

United Nations sanctions on Mali will end on Thursday after Russia vetoed a renewal of the measures that targeted anyone violating or obstructing a 2015 peace deal, hindering aid delivery, committing rights abuses or recruiting child soldiers.

“MINUSMA may be leaving Mali, but the United Nations, through its agencies, funds, and programs, remains. Their work has never been as vital as it is today,” he (El-Ghassim Wane) said, welcoming assurances received from Malian authorities regarding security of UN personnel.

UN experts say the armed group now controls rural areas in eastern Menaka and large parts of the Ansongo area in northern Gao.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali has brought forward its withdrawal from a base in the north of the country due to deteriorating security conditions. 

In a statement, the (Malian Foreign) ministry said the move was reciprocal after it “learned, with surprise" through the press that the French Foreign Ministry classified Mali in the “red zone” on the grounds of “strong regional tensions.”

With its new constitution, Mali has dropped French, which has been the country’s official language since 1960.

[…] UN transitions are always complex undertakings, but the difficulties inherent in the liquidation and reconfiguration of the UN presence in Mali will only be exacerbated given both the lack of preparation time and because of the tension with the host government.

Now that the United Nations (UN) Security Council has voted to end MINUSMA’s mandate and withdraw the mission within six months, civilians in Mali are at even greater risk of harm from violence. Despite its challenges, MINUSMA has played an important role in the protection of civilians (POC) in Mali.

The United Kingdom on Thursday announced sanctions of 13 individuals and businesses in the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali and Sudan with links to Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group, including one it described as the “right-hand man” of the group’s founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.