Ivory Coast asks Mali to release 49 soldiers arrested in Bamako
Al JazeeraNov 23, 2022
In a letter sent to the UN Secretary-General last week and circulated on Tuesday, Côte d'Ivoire officials announced that they will not replace their military contingent in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) when the group rotates out in August 2023.
This disclosure comes a day after the UK stated that it was withdrawing 300 troops from the peacekeeping force, following other Western nations that have also pulled out from Mali this year, including France. With nearly 18K personnel, MINUSMA is one of the largest UN missions.
The West's moves in resource-rich Mali, and in the entirety of the Sahel, aren't motivated by the fight against jihadist insurgents, the promotion of democracy, or a desire to secure a "rule-based order." Western members of the UN are only concerned with defending their own geostrategic interests — including against Russia. The so-called stabilization mission MINUSMA serves only as a tool for power projection, especially after the end of French neo-colonialism in Mali.
Since France withdrew from MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping operation has become increasingly vulnerable to terrorist attacks amid efforts from the Malian junta to stifle it. Meanwhile, Bamako has deepened ties with the infamous Russian private military Wagner Group, deteriorating the situation in the country even more — especially with regard to human rights — and potentially creating a much longer-term problem in the Sahel.