MINUSMA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, has expressed regret over the expulsion of its spokesperson.
The Malian government has ordered the UN Deputy Chief Communication and Spokesperson, Olivier Salgado, to leave the country within three days for making ‘unacceptable’ comments about the controversial arrest of dozens of Ivorian soldiers in Bamako.
Efforts at Peacekeeping
Mr. Salgado had stated that Mali had been informed of the arrival of the Ivorian soldiers, whom the military-led government had accused of being “mercenaries” out to destabilise the transition.
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Shortly afterwards, Mali suspended MINUSMA’s troop rotations and allegedly barred eight German soldiers from leaving Bamako.
Relations between Mali’s junta and the UN mission have been strained, threatening to derail peacekeeping efforts and exacerbate the country’s instability.
Yerewolo sur les Remparts, a prominent pro-Russian activist group, is expected to hold anti-Minusma protests on July 29, demanding the departure of peacekeepers by September 22, Mali’s independence day.
