Mali

Are western nations all withdrawing from the mission in Mali? And how to deal with Mali's growing ties to Russia? German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock addressed these questions on this week's trip there.

Germany's top envoy Annalena Baerbock is visiting Bamako as Berlin prepares to decide whether to extend the Bundeswehr mission in Mali. France already said it would end its Barkhane and Takuba military operations.

[…] The complex, and not always coordinated, ecosystem of military operations across the Sahel has been aptly labeled a security traffic jam. Here, we will focus on what recent developments mean for the UN, French, and European missions.

The EU on Monday decided to halt its military training missions in Mali but will keep a presence in the Sahel, the bloc's top diplomat said Monday.

A UN envoy demanded Thursday access to the Malian village of Moura, site of an alleged massacre late last month by local forces and suspected Russian fighters.

The UN’s peacekeeping chief in Mali on Thursday, made an urgent call for adequate resources for the mission to carry out its mandate, and meet the growing demand to address a deteriorating security situation across the north and centre of the restive country. 

A UN human rights expert on Wednesday called for a full and independent investigation into alleged mass crimes committed in central Mali’s Mopti region late last month, and pleaded with all parties to ensure the “absolute protection” of civilians and an end to the current vicious cycle of violence. … According to news reports, and a detailed report from the the authoritative NGO Human Rights Watch, released on Tuesday, around 300 civilian men were allegedly killed over a period of five days, during the Government sanctioned operation carried out against suspected jihadists.

[…] Little progress was made during the reporting period regarding the implementation of the Agreement [on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali].

Jihadists, armed militias and the armed forces in Mali killed close to 600 civilians in 2021, the UN said Thursday, with casualty numbers rising towards the end of the year. In the last six months of 2021, civilian killings rose 16 percent, according to a report by the United Nation's peacekeeping mission in the troubled Sahel state, known as Minusma. 

ECOWAS Special Envoy and former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan has ended a two-day visit to Mali without any agreement on a date for elections to return the country to civilian rule.