Peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in Mali on a long-distance patrol between Gao and Ansongo (file photo). Mali's junta demanded in June that the MINUSMA force withdraw from the West African country after a decade-long deployment. A senior local security official told AFP news agency that MINUSMA troops had left Ber, adding that the withdrawal had taken place "without incident." Rebel spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane told Reuters by phone that fighting between Tuareg-led rebels and Malian troops around Ber was ongoing as of Sunday morning. Mali's junta welcomed Russia's WagnerThe violence has also fuelled political instability helping the Malian junta seize power in coups in 2020 and 2021.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 14, 2023 05:07 UTC