Mali: UN Officially Ends Peacekeeping Mission After 10 Years

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Facts

• The UN stabilization mission in Mali, MINUSMA, took down the UN flag at its headquarters in Bamako on Monday, officially ending its ten-year mission in the country, according to its spokesperson. The move was requested by Mali's military government earlier this year.¹
• MINUSMA chief El Ghassim Wane announced at the symbolic ceremony that the withdrawal date of Jan. 1 would be followed by a 'liquidation phase,' including the handover of remaining equipment to the authorities. He also voiced satisfaction with what the mission 'could reasonably achieve' in the crisis-ridden country.²
• Mamadou Gaye, the commander of the 13K-strong force, described MINUSMA as 'a very positive mission,' despite the vast and difficult terrain in Mali. The withdrawal of the UN troops comes after former colonial power France ended its military mission in the country last year at Bamako's request.³
• MINUSMA recently handed over one of its last bases in Mopti in the country's center, a hotspot of jihadist violence, to Malian authorities. So far the UN mission abandoned 13 locations in Mali and still has to leave locations in Gao and Timbuktu in northern Mali before the withdrawal deadline expires.⁴
• In June, the current Malian government, which came to power in a military coup in 2020 and turned to Russia as a new strategic partner, called for the immediate withdrawal of MINUSMA from the UN Security Council, arguing that the mission was a 'failure' and 'part of the problem.'⁵
• Launched in 2013, MINUSMA is known as the UN peacekeeping mission with the most casualties incurred for its staff with more than 300 personnel killed. Mali's struggle to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency prompted a French-led military operation in 2012; while initially successful, the insurgents were able to reorganize and began attacking the Malian forces and their allies.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Seychelles news agency, ³FOX News, ⁴The times of india, ⁵Africanews and ⁶France 24.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Nationalpost. The Malian junta's claim that MINUSMA was a failure is false, as its mandate was not to recapture territory lost to the Islamists, but to strengthen the Malian army's capabilities in the fight against the extremists. Moreover, the UN stabilization mission acted as a mediator between some rebel groups and the military junta in Bamako to lay the foundations for lasting peace. MINUSMA has been a success, and the military government in Bamako kicking France and the UN out of the country is irresponsible — Mali is not yet in a position to ensure the country's security on its own.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by RT. While the UN is claiming its ten-year presence to be a success, Mali's security situation has continued to deteriorate. Remarkably, it was only after MINUSMA pulled out of one of its bases in the north that the Malian government was able to achieve a major strategic victory against separatist rebels. That this was achieved with the support of Russia's Wagner Group is further proof that Bamako's move to seek new allies was right. The fact that MINUSMA is following France's example and has officially ended its Mali mission will help restore Mali's stability.

Predictions