Mali Asks The United Nations To Withdraw Peacekeeping Troops Amid Rising Terrorist Attacks, US Ambassador: Disaster Recipe

JAKARTA - The request of Mali authorities for the United Nations to withdraw its peacekeeping forces later this year is a disaster recipe, along with the increase in ISIS attacks in the West African country, US diplomats said.

"As many of us worry, the transitional government's decision to close MINUSMA (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali) has sparked new violence on the ground," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council., reported The National News August 29.

He further warned of potential war, emphasizing such events could "demonstrate endless and HEADless destruction for the people of Mali".

The US diplomat underlined that increasing instability could pave the way for the expansion of terror groups in the region.

"This will be a disaster recipe," he said.

Meanwhile, unrest, sparked by local branches of Al Qaeda and ISIS, has escalated in the past year, after military leaders in the country forced French troops out, ordering 15,000 UN peacekeepers to leave on December 31 and join the Russian Wagner Group mercenaries.

According to a UN report released last Friday, ISIS extremists have more than doubled control of territory they control in Mali in less than a year.

In addition, Jama'at Nusrat Al Islam Wa Al Muslimin, a Mali-based and active terrorist group across West Africa, "now positions itself as the only actor capable of protecting the public from the ISIS attack on the Greater Sahara".

The United Nations was forced to speed up the process of withdrawing this month after escalating fighting.

The head of the peacekeeping mission at Mali El-Ghassim Wane in a report to the UN Security Council said four UN peacekeepers were injured in two attacks during the withdrawal from the Ber camp in the north, amid tensions between the Coordination of the Azawad Movement of the Tuareg independence coalition and the Arab nationalist group with the Wagner-backed Mali junta.

He said nearly 1,100 UN peacekeeping forces had so far left Mali. However, UN diplomats warned that the second phase of withdrawal would be very challenging due to the tight calendar and dangerous security situations.

This action will involve the release of six bases in northern, northeast and central Mali on December 15.

"This phase will be very difficult," Wane told the council.

It is known that the first phase of withdrawal began on July 17 and ended on Friday.

However, he said, the withdrawal at the request of the Mali Government and the subsequent resolution of the Security Council, remained "according to plan" and had to be completed on December 31.

Closing the mission that has been built for more than a decade and must be completed within six months, he said, is a "very complex and ambitious effort" and becomes more challenging due to a number of other concerns related to humanity, climate, logistics and infrastructure.

He added that the military coup in neighboring Niger also had an impact on the UN withdrawal operation.

"It is very important for us to be able to transport equipment and materials through Niger to reach the main ports," he said.

Over the past decade, more than 300 UN peacekeepers have been killed in Mali, making it the deadliest and most expensive peacekeeping mission in the world with a budget of 1.2 billion US dollars.