Discussions between members of the UN Security Council began recently in New York on the future of the UN peacekeepers mission deployed in Mali, which has so far benefited from significant military support from operations. French Barkhane and Takuba.
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The Minusma force, created in 2013 to support the Malian political process, is one of the most important UN peacekeeping missions in the world and the deadliest for its peacekeepers (about 150 dead in hostile acts). Made up of some 15,000 military and police personnel, it has an annual budget of more than $1.2 billion.
The announcement given as imminent of a departure from Mali of Barkhane and Takuba, under the pressure of the junta which wants to favor cooperation with Russia, could lead to the departures in the medium term of European contingents – England, Germany… – who contribute so far to the Minusma, according to diplomats.
“The arrival of the (Russian paramilitary) Wagner group coupled with a withdrawal from Barkhane will probably put our troops in danger,” said a Western diplomat whose country provides soldiers to Minusma. “The safety of our troops and, consequently, their ability to operate, are essential,” adds this source on condition of anonymity, confirming the launch of discussions in New York.
“Barkhane’s withdrawal will have an impact on Minusma and on the G5 Sahel force”, adds an African ambassador to the UN, also asking not to be identified. According to him, “there are joint missions between Barkhane and Minusma”.
For Germany, a withdrawal or maintenance of its 1,100 blue helmets in Mali requires a decision by Parliament expected in May.
Again on Tuesday, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht stressed that the postponement of the elections in Mali, initially scheduled for February 27, deprived her country of “basis for (its) military commitment” in Mali. She rejected any possibility of cooperation with the Russians.
“Obvious addiction”
There is an “obvious dependence” of Minusma on Barkhane, summarizes Ornella Moderan, head for the Sahel of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), based in Bamako. “Some European contingents are present because Barkhane is there.”
“With the departure of the French soldiers, will the Germans, the English or the Swedes stay?” asks this expert.
On a daily basis, the support of the French forces is carried out in air support with fighter planes and attack helicopters, and in the medical field, with in particular a hospital managed in Gao and which is the best equipped in the north. from the country.
According to another diplomat, also speaking on condition of anonymity, France has promised to continue its support for the Minusma contingents, in particular Europeans, in the short term. It remains to be seen what the junta, at odds with Paris, will want to accept, he adds.
The expiry of the annual mandate of the Minusma mission is June 30. A former colonial power, France is responsible for drafting Security Council resolutions on Mali at the UN, in particular on sanctions and on the extension of the mandate of peacekeepers.
Asked by AFP to find out how she saw the future of Minusma in the event of the departure of its best-skilled and equipped European contingents, the American ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, remained evasive.
“Developments in Mali will determine UN Security Council deliberations on the Minusma mandate before it expires in June,” she said.
“We call on the transitional government to take measures” to facilitate security assistance for the Malian people, added the American diplomat, recalling her country’s opposition to the deployment of Wagner’s paramilitaries, “known for their activities destabilizing forces and their abuses of human rights”.
In the event of the departure of the European contingents of Minusma, and if this mission were to continue, other countries such as China could jump at the chance to offer replacement troops, diplomats believe.