Mali

Heightened tensions and the increasingly hostile presence of armed groups in northern Mali are likely to impede the departure of the UN Stabilization Mission there (MINUSMA), the UN said in a note to correspondents issued on Saturday.

Tuareg rebels in northern Mali claim to have seized another Malian army base, the fourth since August. The escalation of violence coincides with the ongoing withdrawal of the UN stabilization force from the country.

Mali’s ruling junta on Monday announced a delay to a presidential election scheduled for February that was aimed at returning civilian leaders to power in the jihadist-hit West African nation.

Fresh fighting broke out between Mali's army and northern Tuareg rebels on Sunday, with the rebels claiming to have taken control of two army bases in the central town of Lere.

Military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso signed a security pact on Saturday promising to help each other in the event of any rebellion insurgency or external aggression. The Liptako-Gourma Charter will create the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), Mali's junta leader Assimi Goita posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Rebels says they have seized control of a military camp and posts in Bourem from army and Wagner mercenaries, threatening to unravel a 2015 peace deal.

Following the Russian Federation’s 30 August veto of a draft resolution that would have renewed certain Security Council measures against those obstructing peace in Mali, speakers in the General Assembly considered its implications amidst the demanded withdrawal of United Nations presence from a country still in crisis.

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.