Ivory Coast to gradually pull out from UN peacekeeping mission in Mali

Africa, News November 15, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Ivory Coast’s ambassador to the United Nations informed in a letter that his country plans to gradually pull out from the UN peacekeeping mission in the neighboring African country of Mali. The announcement comes after 46 Ivorians were detained in July this year.

Ivory Coast has informed the United Nations that it would stop rotating troops and would not replace personnel in Mali for its peacekeeping mission. According to the letter, Ivory Coast plans to withdraw from the mission by August 2023.

Senior Ivory Coast security sources also confirmed the decision. The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali as well as the governments of Mali and Ivory Coast have not released any statements regarding the reports.

Ivory Coast’s decision to withdraw from the mission is a response to the detainment of its 46 people back in July 2022. Mali detained the group of Ivorians upon their arrival in the capital city of Bamako, accusing them of being mercenaries. Ivory Coast, however, says that all the detained personnel were part of a security and logistics unit working under the peacekeeping mission and made repeated pleas for their release.

Mali’s military government later said that the detained personnel arrived without permission, and some of their passports indicated non-military professions. According to the Malian officials, all of them gave differing versions of their mandate.

Mali is Africa’s most volatile country that relies upon UN peacekeeping missions to contain insurgency. Islamist insurgents have killed thousands while capturing a large area in the northern part of Mali. Political instability and lack of democratic leadership have made the situation even worse in recent times.

The decade-long insurgency has affected millions of Malian residents while deteriorating the country’s poverty situation even further. The French military had been present in Mali for a long time playing an important role in fighting the insurgents and keeping the situation under control. Being a former French colony and a francophone country of 20 million people, Mali has close ties with France in Europe.

*^{Malian soldiers drive through the streets of Bamako, Mali on August 19, 2020. (Image Credit: Annie Risemberg/AFP)}*

In February 2022, however, French President Emanuel Macron announced the withdrawal of French forces from Mali. French withdrawal from Mali leads to a breakdown of relations between many government factions leading to a further intensify dire situation.

According to some western sources, since the French withdrawal from Mali, the Malian armed forces have hired 1000 Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a private military company. However, the security situation against the armed rebel groups remains unchanged.