(Reuters) – The United States regrets the decision of Mali’s interim military authorities to ask a United Nations peacekeeping force to leave the country, the State Department said on Monday, calling for an “orderly” withdrawal. and responsible” for the mission.
Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop made the request during a UN Security Council meeting on Friday, citing a “crisis of confidence” between the Malian authorities and the UN mission known as MINUSMA. .
“The United States regrets the decision of the transitional government of Mali to revoke its consent to MINUSMA,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. “The withdrawal of MINUSMA must be orderly and responsible, prioritizing the safety and security of peacekeepers and Malians.”
“We are concerned about the effects this decision will have on the security and humanitarian crises affecting the people of Mali,” he said in a statement.
Mali has struggled to stem an Islamist insurgency that took root following an uprising in 2012. MINUSMA was deployed by the UN Security Council in 2013 to support foreign and local efforts to restore stability.
Frustrations over growing insecurity have prompted two coups in 2020 and 2021, and the ruling junta is increasingly at odds with MINUSMA and other international allies, including France.
The junta cut ties with traditional Western allies and turned to Russia to help build up its military capabilities.
The United States “will continue to work with our partners in West Africa to help them address the pressing security and governance challenges they face,” Miller said. “We welcome further consultations with regional leaders on additional measures to promote stability and prevent conflict.”
Members of the UN Security Council had begun discussing a draft resolution to extend the mandate of MINUSMA, which expires on June 30. We didn’t know what was going to happen now.
The UN’s special envoy to Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, said on Friday that it would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible” to operate in a country without the consent of government authorities.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Franklin Paul and Jonathan Oatis)