Mali

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.

[…] The full consequences of MINUSMA’s rapid withdrawal remain to be seen, but some takeaways from the Mali case can already be drawn out.

[…] In planning the MINUSMA exit over the next six months, there is a risk that the UN will become overly focused on the technical aspects of withdrawal, expending enormous energy and resources on the complicated logistics of moving a billion-dollar operation out. This would be a mistake. Instead, the UN should create a new strategic moment to influence Mali’s trajectory positively, treating the exit as a leverage point. 

The Security Council on Friday unanimously approved the complete withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces in Mali, although it will take six months for the final “blue helmets” to depart.+