Ivory Coast to Leave UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali

By Yamini Sharma On Nov 15, 2022

According to a letter from its ambassador to the United Nations, Ivory Coast will gradually withdraw its military and police contributions to a United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali after Bamako detained 46 of its soldiers in July.
The soldiers were accused of being mercenaries by Mali. Ivory Coast claims they were part of a security and logistics contingent supporting the UN peacekeeping mission and has repeatedly requested their release.
According to a letter seen by Reuters, Ivory Coast has informed the United Nations that it has stopped rotating troops and will not replace personnel in the peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in August 2023.
Two senior Ivory Coast security sources confirmed the decision. MINUSMA and the governments of Mali and Ivory Coast did not respond to requests for comment right away.
For a decade, Mali has relied on regional allies and peacekeepers to contain an Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands and taken over large areas of the country’s centre and north.