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United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali

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The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (French: Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation au Mali, MINUSMA)[1] was a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. MINUSMA was established on 25 April 2013 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2100 to stabilise the country after the Tuareg rebellion of 2012,[2] and was terminated over a decade later on 30 June 2023.[3] Officially deployed on 1 July 2013, MINUSMA was the UN's deadliest peacekeeping mission.[4] While UNIFIL, the mission in Lebanon, has lost more peacekeepers overall, by incident type the majority of those deaths at 135 are officially listed as "accidents."[4][5] At 175 deaths by "malicious act," MINUSMA was officially the deadliest Peacekeeping mission of all time.[4][5]

United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
AbbreviationMINUSMA
Formation25 April 2013
Dissolved30 June 2023
TypePeacekeeping mission
Legal statusDissolved
HeadquartersBamako, Mali
Special Representatives of the Secretary-general (SRSGs) and Heads of MINUSMA
Bert Koenders (July 2013 – October 2014); Mongi Hamdi (January 2014 - December 2014); Mahamat Saleh Annadif (December 2015 – April 2021); El-Ghassim Wane (April 2021 - December 2023)
Parent organization
United Nations Security Council
WebsiteOfficial website in English

During MINUSMA's existence, there were two further international peace operations in Mali. These were the European Union missions EUCAP Sahel Mali and EUTM Mali.

History

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Main article: Northern Mali conflict

In 2012, Tuareg and other peoples in northern Mali's Azawad region started an insurgency in the north under the banner of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. After some initial successes and complaints from the Malian Army that it was ill-equipped to fight the insurgents, who had benefited from an influx of heavy weaponry from the 2011 Libyan civil war as well as other sources, elements of the army staged a military coup d'état on 21 March 2012.[6] Following the coup, the rebels made further advances to capture the three biggest cities in the north: Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal.[7] Following economic sanctions and a blockade by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the country, a deal, brokered in Burkina Faso by President Blaise Compaoré under the auspices of ECOWAS, was signed that would see Amadou Sanogo cede power to Dioncounda Traoré to assume the presidency in an interim capacity until an election is held.[8]

On 1 July 2013, 6,000 of a future total of 12,600 UN peacekeeping troops officially took over responsibility for patrolling the country's north from France and the ECOWAS' International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA).[9] The group was expected to play a role in the 2013 Malian presidential election.[10] The force was the third largest UN peacekeeping force in operation in the world as of 2013.[11]

On 16 June 2023, the Foreign Minister of Mali requested that the United Nations terminate MINUSMA due to what he called its "failure" to stabilize the situation there.[12] The mission was officially terminated on 30 June 2023,[3] with all UN forces due to leave Mali by 31 December 2023.[13]

Organisation and forces

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Its headquarters were in the Malian capital city, Bamako. Military intelligence was evaluated by the Force Headquarters U2-Intelligence Section.[14]

The force was led by Danish Major General Michael Lollesgaard in 2015 and 2016, Belgian Major General Jean-Paul Deconinck until 2 October 2018, after which he was succeeded by Lieutenant General Dennis Gyllensporre of Sweden.[15][16] The force commander in November 2021 was Dutch Lieutenant-General Johannes Matthijssen.[17]

As of 30 September 2021, countries contributing with police and military personnel were:[18][19]

Incidents

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In October 2013, a suicide bomber attacked the Chadian soldiers resulting in the death of two soldiers.[20]

On 13 December, two Senegalese peacekeepers were killed at a bombing outside the Malian Solidarity Bank in Kidal a day before the second round of the Malian parliamentary election, 2013.[21] In October 2014, 10 soldiers were killed—nine from Niger and one from Senegal near Gao and Kidal, respectively—bringing the total number of dead soldiers from the mission to 21 with dozens more wounded. It also preceded Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop calling for the UNSC to send a rapid deployment force to the country claiming that there was an increase in drug traffickers and Islamist fighters. U.N. Peacekeeping chief Hervé Ladsous also spoke to the UNSC from Bamako, where he attend a memorial service for the dead soldiers. He added that a combination of factors has led to the increase in attacks on U.N. troops, including the drawdown of French forces and a perceived lack of Malian security forces, as such MINUSMA, being the main international presence in the area, was a target. He further noted that the UN was no longer working in a peacekeeping environment, but sought to increase protection of the mission's staff, equipment and bases.[22]

On 20 January 2019 the MINUSMA base at Aguelhok was attacked by militants. The attack was repelled but 10 Chadian UN peacekeepers were killed and a further 25 injured.[23][24] The militants had arrived on board a number of armed vehicles. Several of the attackers are said to have been killed.[25] Responsibility was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb who stated that it was a retaliatory attack for the recent visit to Chad by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the subsequent revival of Chad–Israel diplomatic relations.[25][26] UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack.[27]

On 25 January 2019 three Sri Lankan peacekeepers were killed, while another three were injured, when their armoured vehicle came under an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack, in the general area of Douentza in Mali.[28]

The United Nations reported that attacks in the northern Mali against a U.N. convoy killed three peacekeepers from Chad and injured four others. Secretary-General António Guterres and UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric criticized the attacks, and said that they could account to war crimes as per the international law.[29]

On 10 May 2020 three UN MINUSMA peacekeepers were killed in action near Aguelhok.[30]

As of 31 March 2020, 209 MINUSMA troops died.[5]

Twenty MINUSMA troops were wounded, some seriously, in attacks by rebels in Douentza, Mopti, on 10 February 2021.[31]

On 30 March 2021, MINUSMA published a report that concluded a French air strike on 3 January 2021 on the remote village of Bounti in Sahel state, killed at least 22 people, 19 of whom were civilians. The strike was carried out under Operation Eclipse – a joint operation involving armed forces from Mali, France and the G5 Sahel. French military have denied wrongdoing saying the strike, by a Mirage 2000 bomber, had "neutralised" dozens of jihadists in a precision attack.[32]

On 3 October 2021, one Egyptian peacekeeper was killed, four of his colleagues seriously injured, in an IED attack.[33]

On 5 December 2021, two explosions hit MINUSMA barracks in Gao. The French army said there was only material damage and did not provide details about any possible origin of the blasts.[34]

On 8 December 2021, seven MINUSMA peacekeepers were killed when their convoy hit an improvised explosive device in central Mali, in the Bandiagara area in the Mopti region when driving between the towns of Douentza and Sévaré. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.[35][36]

On 1 June 2022, a Jordanian member of the MINUSMA peacekeeping force was killed and three more injured in Kidal Region, Mali.[37]

From 1 November to 4 November 2023, 37 peacekeepers were injured after six IED attacks on their convoy, which was departing them from Kidal.[38][39]

References

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  1. ^ "Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation au Mali (MINUSMA), French language webpage on UN website for the mission". United Nations. 25 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  2. ^ "United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)". United Nations. 25 April 2013. Archived from the original on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  3. ^ a b Lewis, David; McAllister, Edward. "U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali set to end on June 30". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c United Nations Peacekeeping. "UN Peacekeeping fatalities by incident type" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b c "FATALITIES". United Nations Peacekeeping.
  6. ^ Look, Anne (25 March 2012). "Uncertainty Reigns in Mali". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Timbuktu bombarded as Mali constitution 'restored'". Hindustan Times. 1 April 2012. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Mali junta says power transfer 'within days'". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  9. ^ (in Italian) Pineschi Laura, TUTELA INTERNAZIONALE DEL PATRIMONIO CULTURALE E MISSIONI DI PACE DELLE NAZIONI UNITE: UN BINOMIO POSSIBILE? IL CASO MINUSMA, Rivista di Diritto Internazionale 2018, pag. 5, fasc. 1
  10. ^ "UN takes over Mali peacekeeping mission". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  11. ^ "Secure the Sahara, if you can". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Mali asks UN to withdraw its peacekeeping mission 'without delay'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Analysis: What's next for Mali after MINUSMA withdrawal?". Al Jazeera. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  14. ^ Rune Thomas Ege (11 September 2013). "Norske soldater på plass i Mali". VG. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Secretary-General Appoints Major General Jean-Paul Deconinck of Belgium Force Commander, UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali". United Nations. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Secretary-General Appoints Lieutenant General Dennis Gyllensporre of Sweden Force Commander of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali" (Press release). New York: United Nations. 30 August 2018. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  17. ^ "Secretary-General Appoints Lieutenant General Cornelis Johannes Matthijssen of Netherlands Force Commander, Mali Multidimensional Stabilization Mission | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases".
  18. ^ "Personnel MINUSMA". 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Troop and police contributors". United Nations Peacekeeping. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  20. ^ "UN troops killed in Mali suicide attack". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  21. ^ "Car bomb kills UN peacekeepers in Mali". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  22. ^ Besheer, Margaret (8 October 2014). "Mali Calls for Rapid Reaction Force to Quell Unrest". VOA. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  23. ^ "UN peacekeepers killed in Mali attack". BBC. 20 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  24. ^ Andone, Dakin (21 January 2019). "Mali: Ten UN peacekeeper killed in attack in Mali". CNN. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  25. ^ a b "Mali: 10 UN peacekeepers killed in attack on Aguelhok base". The Defense Post. 20 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  26. ^ "Peacekeepers killed in attack on UN northern Mali base". France 24. 20 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  27. ^ "Mali: Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the Aguelhok attack". North Africa Journal. 20 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  28. ^ Senarathna, Nuwan (26 January 2019). "Three Sri Lankan soldiers die in Mali attack". Daily FT. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  29. ^ "UN says 3 peacekeepers killed, 4 wounded in Mali attacks". The Star. 10 May 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  30. ^ "Three UN MINUSMA Peacekeepers Killed in Mali". International Insider. 10 May 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  31. ^ "Twenty U.N. peacekeepers wounded in central Mali attack". Reuters. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  32. ^ "French strike in Mali killed 19 civilians in January: UN". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  33. ^ "UN peacekeeper killed in north Mali IED attack". France 24. 3 October 2021.
  34. ^ "Two explosions hit UN camps in Mali". The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  35. ^ "Roadside bomb explosion kills UN peacekeepers in central Mali". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  36. ^ Vidalon, Dominique (9 December 2021). Heinrich, Mark (ed.). "France condemns attack that killed seven U.N. peacekeepers in Mali". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  37. ^ "UN peacekeeper killed in 'terrorist' attack in northern Mali". France24. 1 June 2022.
  38. ^ "Mali: UN convoy concludes treacherous 350 kilometre journey | UN News". news.un.org. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  39. ^ "UN convoy stretching 9 kilometers ends harrowing trip in Mali that saw 37 peacekeepers hurt by IEDs". AP News. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
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