After the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers, Tuareg rebels quickly occupied the vacant base. According to a mission employee, they left Kidal in the northeastern part of the country with two convoys of cars. Originally, they wanted to evacuate local peacekeepers and civilians by plane, but the Malian government did not grant permission. The convoy is now on its way to another major city, Gao.
This year, Mali’s military junta ordered a 15,000-strong UN mission to leave the West African country immediately, claiming they could not control the Islamist rebels.
Among UN peacekeeping operations, the mission in Mali has become the most endangered in the world: since its inception in 2013, more than 300 members of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) have been killed.
Clashes between government forces and rebels in the country began to become more serious, so policymakers brought forward the planned November troop withdrawal a few weeks early. Previously, France also had a large contingent stationed in the country, but Paris has already decided to leave in 2022.
Cover image credit: Michael Kappeler/Image Alliance via Getty Images
