Rebels seize base after UN troop withdrawal

According to the UN mission MINUSMA, the security situation in Mali is deteriorating as Tuareg rebels gain ground after the evacuation of a base. The withdrawal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Tuareg rebels in Mali announced on Tuesday that they had occupied an evacuated base in Kidal. Previously, the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) had left the important base in the disputed northern region of the West African country as part of its planned withdrawal.

Kidal is a strategically important city. The base is the eighth out of a total of 13 in central and northern Mali that the UN soldiers have vacated. It was one of their most important locations.

Worsening security situation

According to MINUSMA, the withdrawal from Kidal was difficult. On the way to a military camp in Gao, where German soldiers are still present, the last convoy encountered explosive devices. The Kidal region is considered a stronghold of the separatist Tuareg rebels. The convoys of Chadian peacekeepers from the northern bases of Aguelhok and Tessalit have also arrived in Gao, it was further reported. The withdrawal has been “extremely difficult” due to the “deteriorating security situation”, among other factors.

Military government demands withdrawal

The UN mission to stabilize the Sahel region is withdrawing at the request of the Malian military government. After the Malian military staged a coup in 2021, relations with the UN troops and Western countries deteriorated. The government is internationally criticized for not holding elections and maintaining close relations with Russia, among other issues. In June, the military eventually demanded the withdrawal of international soldiers, which is set to be completed on December 31.

Germany had already decided to end its participation in the mission. According to the latest information from the Bundeswehr, approximately half of the original 1,000 soldiers remain at the Gao military camp.

Mali’s situation destabilizing

Islamic terrorist groups, some of which are allied with Al-Qaeda and the “Islamic State” terrorist organization, are spreading in Mali and its neighboring countries. Observers expect that fighting may now occur in northern Mali between the army and the insurgent Tuareg rebels.