The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (Minusma) officially ended ten years of deployment in this country in the grip of jihadism and a deep crisis on Monday, December 11, after being pushed out by the ruling junta. noted correspondents from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Minusma lowered the United Nations flag on its headquarters near the airport in the capital Bamako, its spokesperson Fatoumata Kaba also told AFP. The ceremony underway Monday morning symbolically marks the end of the mission, even if some of its elements are still on site, she said.
The closure ends a commitment begun in 2013 in the face of the spread of violence that threatened the stability of the poor and fragile state. They have since spread to the center of the country and the Sahelian neighbors of Burkina Faso and Niger, thousands of civilians and combatants have died and millions of people have been displaced.
With more than 180 members killed in hostile acts mainly perpetrated by armed groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization, Minusma is the hardest-hit UN peace mission in recent years. Its numbers were around 15,000 soldiers and police from a multitude of countries.
Despite the human losses and a considerable financial commitment, Minusma was the subject of strong criticism from some Malians, who denounced its inability to stem the crisis.
