After a decade-long engagement, Mali’s United Nations (UN) mission concluded its activities on Monday, officially confirmed by spokesperson Fatoumata Kaba.
This withdrawal was in line with directives from Mali’s military leadership.
Kaba conveyed to the media that the mission, recognized as MINUSMA, marked the end of its tenure by lowering the UN flag at its Bamako headquarters, signifying a symbolic conclusion.
Post-January 1, a “liquidation phase” is scheduled, encompassing tasks like transferring remaining equipment to local authorities.
Concerns have arisen regarding potential escalated conflict between military forces and armed factions vying for territorial control following MINUSMA’s departure.
For a decade, MINUSMA maintained a presence of around 15,000 soldiers and police in Mali. Tragically, about 180 members lost their lives in hostile actions during this period.
The UN mission reported that by the previous Friday, over 10,500 uniformed and civilian MINUSMA personnel had left Mali, out of the roughly 13,800 staff present at the start of the withdrawal. This information was shared via the UN mission’s platform X, formerly recognized as Twitter.