The Malian junta on July 20 ordered the expulsion of the spokesperson for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, Minusma. The Malian authorities accuse Olivier Salgado, of French nationality, of having posted on the social network Twitter “unacceptable information” the day after the arrest of 49 Ivorian soldiers in Bamako on July 10.
In New York, the United Nations “deeply” regretted this decision. Deputy UN Spokesman Farhan Haq stressed that the doctrine of persona non grata does not apply to UN staff and added that “appropriate measures” will be taken, without specifying the nature.
Olivier Salgado had reacted, as spokesperson for the UN in Mali since the creation of the mission in 2013, on this affair of the 49 Ivorian soldiers. These, called “mercenaries” by Bamako, were according to Abidjan, “National Support Elements” (ENS), a UN procedure allowing peacekeeping mission contingents to call on service providers outside the UN for logistical support. They were, according to Côte d’Ivoire, to take over from other Ivorians deployed in Mali.
According to the tweet of the spokesperson of the Minusma published on July 11, the information of this succession “would have been previously communicated to the national authorities”, which Bamako denied. The Malian authorities believe that Olivier Salgado spoke on this point “without any proof”.
The expulsion of the Minusma spokesman comes on top of other diplomatic snags between Mali and the UN, which has 12,261 soldiers and 11,718 police in the country. On July 14, a few days after the arrest of the Ivorian soldiers, Bamako announced the suspension of all Minusma military and police rotations, citing the need to hold a “meeting” for “facilitate coordination and regulation” of said rotations. No date has been set for this meeting. Egypt had, the next day, announced a temporary suspension of the participation of its contingent, which suffered heavy penalties, in the Minusma from August.
This decision by Mali also comes in the context of a diplomatic standoff between Bamako and many of its partners. France, first, which Mali pushed towards the exit at the beginning of 2022 after nine years of military presence in the country, via Operation Serval then Barkhane. The last French soldiers must leave Mali within a few weeks. Then the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which harshly sanctioned Mali for six months for failing to respect its commitments.
Arm wrestling finally with the Ivory Coast about the arrest of the soldiers. However, in this case, Bamako accepted the mediation of Togo. Bamako says to itself “willing to work” at “a happy ending to this situation (…) in strict respect for the sovereignty of Mali”. The “sovereignty”a principle dear to the junta which, while part of its territory is in the hands of the jihadists, regularly calls its “partners to (the) respect the sovereignty.
I had a telephone interview with the SG @antonioguterres. We talked about the support of #NAKED to the transition process in Mali and I reiterated the need for the partners to respect the sovereignty of the #Mali
— Colonel Assimi GOITA (@GoitaAssimi) July 12, 2022