The UN mission in Mali (Minusma) announced that it had begun on Monday October 16 to withdraw from two of its camps in the Kidal region, beginning a new phase of its forced withdrawal which has raised fears of an intensification of fighting in the north from the country.
Minusma, which planned to leave its camps from mid-October, initiated this disengagement without delay while the region is the scene of a military escalation for control of the territory. “In a climate of high tension, Minusma has begun the process of withdrawing from its camps in the Kidal region, starting with Tessalit and Aguelhok,” the force said in a statement released Monday afternoon.
In the morning, the Malian army, anticipating the withdrawal of Minusma, had landed two planes in Tessalit, which came under fire on landing attributed to separatist rebels, said two airport officials. The planes were carrying Malian soldiers and members of the Russian paramilitary company Wagner, they said.
The Minusma camp, occupied mainly by Chadians, is located near the airport. The Malian army mentioned on social networks that only one plane had been targeted but that it was able to land and leave without difficulty after the air force had “neutralized” the enemy positions.
Leave the country by December 31
Minusma cited the morning’s skirmishes as illustrating “the rapid deterioration of security conditions for the lives of hundreds of peacekeepers.” She said she was doing everything to complete its withdrawal, “as soon as possible, including, if necessary, by accelerating its withdrawal from the Kidal camp, originally planned for mid-November.”
The colonels who came to power in Mali by force in 2020 demanded in June, after months of deterioration in relations, the departure of Minusma deployed since 2013 in this country in the grip of jihadism and a deep multidimensional crisis. Minusma must leave the country by December 31 and the departure of its camps has exacerbated rivalries for control of the north of the country.
The predominantly Tuareg separatist groups have resumed hostilities against the central state and the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, has increased attacks against military positions. Since August, Minusma has transferred four camps to the Malian authorities. She had brought forward the evacuation of one of them, that of Ber, due to the rise in tensions. But the evacuation of the UN camps in the Kidal region and that of Kidal itself, a bastion town of the separatists, promises to be the most flammable.
The separatists are opposed to Minusma handing over the camps to the Malian authorities, which they say goes against agreements made in 2014 and 2015 when, after rising up in 2012, they agreed to cease fire and make peace.
Kidal, a major issue
The junta has made the restoration of national sovereignty throughout the territory its mantra. She invokes the texts on peacekeeping operations to say that Minusma must transfer its camps to the State, which it has done until now.
Kidal in particular, controlled by the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), an alliance of predominantly Tuareg armed groups, is a major issue and its insubordination an old source of irritation in Bamako. A large army convoy left Gao on October 2 towards Kidal.
The GSIM, for its part, is taking advantage of the circumstances to strengthen its hold and continue the fight against the State and any foreign presence. Minusma carries out these large-scale operations in a dangerous and complicated context. It is criticized by both the CMA and the junta as playing into the hands of the adversary.
The UN warned on Saturday that the resumption of hostilities but also the difficulties caused by the junta, such as the blocking of logistical convoys due to leave Gao to participate in the withdrawal of camps in the north of the country, risked calling into question the departure schedule peacekeepers. The junta has resolutely ruled out such a possibility.
Minusma also encountered the non-issuance of flight authorizations for its aircraft. It indicated Monday that it would destroy or decommission “sensitive” equipment that cannot be evacuated due to the blockage of its convoys. On the other hand, the Malian army authorized the flight of devices to evacuate the Chadian contingent from October 16 to 24, shows a confidential document consulted by AFP.