UN peacekeeping mission in Mali completes withdrawal By Reuters

© Reuters. Soldiers stand at attention as the last units of the Bundeswehr return from a peacekeeping force known as the Multinational Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in Bunstorf, Germany, December 15, 2023. REUTERS/Lisi N

(Reuters) – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is expected to complete its withdrawal on Sunday, the United Nations said in a statement.

Security experts are warning that the area could now become a focus of fighting in the north as rebel groups and the military try to take over areas left by the United Nations, while Islamist militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State are also on the prowl. This could further destabilize Mali.

Violence in Mali has surged since June, when the military junta that took power in a 2021 coup ordered the country to leave a decade-old UN peacekeeping mission.

The UN said only a small team would remain to oversee the transport of assets and the disposal of UN-owned equipment.

“UN funds, agencies and programs were in Mali prior to the MINUSMA deployment and will remain in Mali after the withdrawal,” said MINUSMA representative El-Ghassum Wane.

Mali’s peacekeeping mission began in 2013 following a violent uprising by separatist rebels seeking control of northern Mali and the subsequent military-led coup.

Mali became the epicenter of a violent movement that later spread across West Africa and forced millions to flee.