Mali: UN to Resume Mission Rotations

Facts

• The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) will reportedly resume its contingent rotation from Mon. "without exception," according to Malian and MINUSMA officials on Saturday.
• Accordingly, Bamako and MINUSMA had agreed on a streamlined rotation process to coordinate troop deployments, and the mission's request to resume rotations for the about 12K-strong mission had been accepted.
• The announcement comes one month after Bamako suspended rotations for MINUSMA following the arrest of 49 soldiers from the Ivory Coast who it said entered Mali without permission. Meanwhile, the UN mission is said to have acknowledged "dysfunctions" in deploying the Ivorian troops.
• Meanwhile, on Fri., the German government said it was suspending its military reconnaissance and transport missions for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali after Bamako reportedly denied flight clearance for a planned rotation of personnel.
• Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, however, denied the accusations and reportedly called on Germany to comply with the new mechanism for authorizing troop rotations.
• The latest developments come amid rising tensions between Mali's transitional military government, which came to power in an August 2020 coup, and Western powers that have condemned election delays and the alleged security cooperation between Bamako and the Kremlin-linked private military company Wagner Group.

Sources: Voa News, Al Jazeera, Alarabiya, DW, France24 , and Reuters.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Mali's government has the primary responsibility to protect its citizens and promote peacekeeping efforts within the country. With French troops withdrawing from the UN mission, German troops are already overwhelmed by the situation. MINUSMA is there to support the government, but they cannot do anything unless granted the permission and authority to do so.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Africa News. The United Nations' MINUSMA forces - primarily considered a tool of Western imperialism - are not wanted in Mali. The foreign troops stationed in the country show a loss of independence and sovereignty. Real peace-making steps cannot be taken until these troops leave.