UN peacekeeping mission wraps up Mali deployment after being ordered out
The Hindu
UN mission in Mali completes withdrawal, UN chief praises its "key role" in protecting civilians & supporting peace process.
The UN mission in Mali ended a decade of deployment in the crisis-wracked country on Sunday, meeting a December 31 deadline agreed after Mali’s military leaders ordered it to leave.
The UN stabilisation mission, United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), had been in place since 2013, and its withdrawal is igniting fears that fighting will intensify between troops and armed factions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on December 31 that MINUSMA had completed its agreed withdrawal by December 31.
A “liquidation phase” will begin from January 1, involving activities such as handing over equipment to the authorities with smaller teams at sites in Gao and Bamako.
The UN chief praised the missions’s “key role” in protecting civilians and supporting the peace process in Maliwhich is in the grip of jihadist violence and other crises.
Violence has swept the fragile and poor country, spilling over into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger and inflaming ethnic tensions along the way.
Mr. Guterreas also recognised the work of MINUSMA in “ensuring respect for the ceasefire in the context of the 2015 peace and reconciliation agreement” between Bamako and northern rebel groups), as well as its efforts towards restoring state authority.
Taiwan's rare violent crime shocked citizens as a planned attack left three dead and eleven injured, prompting heightened security measures.
Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan and wife Bushra Bibi sentenced to 17 years in Toshakhana corruption case.
Honduras faces growing tension as the presidential vote count extends into its third week, raising concerns over transparency and trust.
Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's health is now stable, according to her doctor, following treatment for multiple complications.
Explore the timeline of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and the push for government transparency on his criminal activities.
The Justice Department's initial release of Epstein files sparks controversy over redactions and incomplete disclosures, angering lawmakers and the public.
The U.S. military will end live animal training for medics, shifting to advanced simulation technology to reduce animal suffering.
Brazil's ex-President Bolsonaro is allowed temporary release from prison for hernia surgery amid ongoing legal battles following his coup conviction.
Photos of Bill Clinton emerge in new Epstein files, prompting his spokesman to clarify the investigation's focus isn't on him.
Rubio announces imminent governance changes in Gaza, followed by an international stabilization force to ensure ceasefire and security.
Cyclone Ditwah has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced scores in Sri Lanka. While it has affected several villages and towns, the highest death toll has been recorded in Kandy in the Central Province. It is part of the island’s hill country that is home to the Malaiyaha Tamils, whose centuries-old precarity makes them especially vulnerable to such shocks.
Pakistan captures top Islamic State Khorasan leader Sultan Aziz Azam, according to a UN sanctions monitoring report.
Over 1,000 patients have died in Gaza awaiting evacuation as WHO urges more countries to assist in urgent medical transfers.