UN peacekeepers, ordered to leave Mali by the country's leaders, have been forced to rush their withdrawal, destroy equipment left behind and risk their lives on the road out. The MINUSMA withdrawal has exacerbated rivalries between armed groups present in the north of the country and the Malian state. These groups do not want the UN camps handed back to the Malian army, saying such a move would contravene ceasefire and peace deals struck with Bamako in 2014 and 2015. - Peacekeepers attacked -After vacating five camps since August, MINUSMA completed its "accelerated withdrawal" from Tessalit, in the northern Kidal region, on Sunday. And on Thursday, a logistics convoy travelling from Ansongo to Labbezanga in the Gao region came under fire.

Source: The North Africa Journal October 31, 2023 16:51 UTC