The United Nations (UN) mission to Mali, MINUSMA, on Friday said Egypt has decided to temporarily suspend its participation in the UN peacekeeping operations in Mali after seven of its troops died in militant attacks this year, reported Africa News.
In a statement, the mission said Egypt has signalled its concerns at UN headquarters in New York this week.
“We have been informed that, in consequence, the Egyptian contingent would temporarily suspend its activities in MINUSMA from August 15,” said Olivier Salgado, the spokesman of the UN mission in Mali, said in the statement.
However, the statement did not reveal how long the suspension would last.
Launched in 2013, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) aimed at helping Mali, one of the world’s poorest countries, to battle jihadist insurgency.
Deemed as one of the UN’s biggest peacekeeping operations, the MINUSMA consists of 17,609 troops, police, civilians and volunteers as of April.
It is one of the most dangerous UN missions so far, with 275 deaths from militant attacks, accidents or other causes.
Earlier this month, at least two peacekeepers were killed and five got seriously injured in an attack against the Egyptian contingent in northern Mali.
Egypt’s announcement to suspend participation from MINUSMA comes at a time when Mali’s ruling junta is struggling to control a bloody jihadist insurgency and facing a friction with international partners.
The UN Security Council renewed the UN mission’s mandate for one year on June 29, although the military junta, which took power in September 2020, opposed requests to allow freedom of movement for rights’ investigators with the mission.
On Thursday, the Mali’s junta announced it was suspending all rotations by MINUSMA troops and police for national security reasons.
Notably, troops from France’s Barkhane operation are due to complete their pull-out from Mali in the coming weeks.
