Baerbock demands clear withdrawal mandate for UN Minusma mission in Mali French government limits public life after riots

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has demanded a clear withdrawal mandate for the imminent end of the UN peacekeeping mission Minusma in West African Mali. “A withdrawal mandate aimed at the safety of the people and the safety of the soldiers” is very important, the Greens politician said Friday after a meeting with her Mongolian counterpart Batmunkh Battsetseg in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar. The federal government is working in the UN Security Council in New York on an orderly withdrawal.

The mandate of the UN mission to stabilize Mali (Minusma), which has existed since 2013, expires today, Friday. The UN Security Council is expected to vote soon on the withdrawal of the UN blue helmets. According to dpa information, a draft resolution called for an end to the UN peacekeeping mission involving the Bundeswehr after a six-month transition period at the end of the year. According to the design, the blue helmets may only be active to a limited extent during this time. Mali’s military government had demanded the withdrawal of all 12,000 UN peacekeepers in mid-June.

Baerbock recalled that last year the federal government campaigned with its international partners and Mali’s immediate neighbors “that we can sustain this mission, which is so important to the people of Mali.” She added: “Unfortunately, the military government has taken a different decision, which is why the international community must now step back.” (aeg/sda/dpa)