West News Wire: Following a spike in violence, the UN peacekeeping operation in Mali has accelerated its evacuation from the northern city of Ber.
In a statement released on Sunday, the MINUSMA UN mission said that “deteriorating security” had made its departure necessary.
According to the organization’s statement on X, now known as Twitter, “MINUSMA has accelerated its withdrawal from Ber due to the deterioration of security in the area and the high risks that this brings for our Blue Helmets.”
It implores all parties involved to avoid taking any actions that might make the situation worse.
According to a top local security official, the UN mission left “without incident”.
Recently, the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), a Tuareg-led northern rebel organisation, accused Malian forces and Russian Wagner Group troops of violating a ceasefire by attacking its forces near Ber.
The Mali army did not respond to the CMA’s allegations but did claim that “armed terrorist groups” were responsible for the deaths of six of its soldiers stationed in the town.
According to CMA spokeswoman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, fighting between the rebels and Mali’s military went on on Sunday.
In a nation that has been gripped by instability since 2012, the rise in violence has stoked worries about the resurgence of a separatist revolt.
The CMA governs the majority of the north and desires independence from the Malian state.
Therefore, Mali’s call for MINUSMA to leave came as a surprise since the military had been stationed there for the previous ten years. Through the signing of the 2015 Algiers Accord, their participation assisted in putting an end to a Tuareg-led rebel separatist rebellion.
There were around 11,600 MINUSMA soldiers and 1,500 police officers in the nation.
Armed gangs took control of the Tuareg rebellion in 2012, and their insurgency eventually stretched to the neighbouring countries of Burkina Faso and Niger, killing hundreds of people and turning into one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes in history.
As a result of this instability, Mali’s military government was able to seize control in coups in 2020 and 2021. According to the UN, the military leaders are also charged with “grave human rights abuses.”
