The UN mission in Mali (Minusma) regretted on Wednesday July 5 the remarks of a Senegalese officer in which he accuses the Malian soldiers of hindering the work of the mission, broadcast in a video that has gone viral on social networks. “The Minusma regrets the comments made by an officer based in Sévaré and dissociates itself from his statement which in no way reflects the position of the Minusma,” she wrote on Twitter.
Friday, June 30, the UN Security Council put an end to the peacekeeping mission of blue helmets, a withdrawal demanded by Bamako which will take place over six months until the end of the year. “We are not going to accept being pushed around. (…) We have nothing against our Malian brothers, but they are starting to create difficulties for us, ”says the officer in Wolof, visibly addressing other Senegalese peacekeepers.
“The Senegalese are not lacking in character and the Malians are not braver than us. They can refuse that we go on a mission, but we are not going to accept being their toys, “he adds on this video which has been shared massively on Facebook and WhatsApp since Tuesday. AFP was unable to say when this video was shot.
The UN has regularly denounced the obstacles to the movement of blue helmets. The mission has also had to deal with the defections of troop-contributing countries cooled by the multiplication of attacks against the mission, including 174 blue helmets have been killed since 2013.
The mission, which has around ten bases spread over the territory, was created in 2013 to help stabilize a state threatened with collapse under the jihadist push, protect civilians, contribute to the peace effort and defend human rights. .
