New York, Aug. 29, (dpa/GNA) – The withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is being hindered by intensified attacks on the blue helmets, according to a UN official on Monday.
The last convoy of troops travelling from the town Ber to the city of Timbuktu have recently been attacked twice by unknown extremists, said UN Special Representative El-Ghassim Wane in New York at the UN Security Council.
The attacks left four blue helmets injured, as well as damaged their vehicles.
Due to the difficult terrain, the convoy took over two days to cover the 57-kilometre distance.
Wane stressed that the difficulties would continue due to the the Malian government demanding a withdrawal by the end of the year.
In some areas it would not be possible to have a proper handover of tasks from the UN’s MINUSMA mission to local forces, Wade continued.
The Malian army, which has been working with mercenaries from the Russian Wagner Group since the military coup in 2021, plans to take over the UN bases after the withdrawal.
This could reignite conflict in northern Mali with the nomadic Tuareg, who more or less control most of the region.
GNA