A COALITION of armed groups in northern Mali has issued a stark warning, stating that the withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, from the country will deliver a ‘fatal blow’ to the existing peace accord and jeopardise stability across the region.
This caution comes in response to the recent request made by Mali’s junta, on Friday, for the immediate departure of the peacekeeping force, following years of strained relations between the United Nations and Bamako’s military leadership.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the coalition known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD) emphasised the potential consequences of MINUSMA’s departure without a viable alternative. They expressed concerns that such a move would pose a significant security threat to Mali and the entire region. However, a spokesperson for the junta did not provide any comment in response to these concerns.
The timeline for MINUSMA’s departure remains uncertain. The peacekeeping force has been present in Mali since 2013, initially deployed in response to a Tuareg-led separatist insurgency tha
t was later exploited by Islamist groups. These extremists have since inflicted extensive casualties and
gained control over significant portions of the country’s north and centre. While MINUSMA has faced challenges in countering the Islamist violence, it has played a role in appeasing the separatist groups, which temporarily halted their offensive in 2015 with the signing of the Algiers Accord.
Nevertheless, the armed group coalition and the junta have experienced strained relations following the military’s consolidation of power through two coups in 2020 and 2021. In December, the CSP-PSD withdrew from talks, asserting that they would only resume negotiations in a neutral country under international mediation.
MINUSMA’s mandate is set to expire on June 30, and discussions were underway to extend it before Mali’s request for departure. Security experts suggest that an orderly withdrawal of the 13,000 troops and equipment could take at least a year to execute. There are growing concerns that Mali, which has severed ties with Western allies since the coups and sought assistance from the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group, could descend further into turmoil if separatist sentiments resurface.
(with Reuters)
