Friday’s unanimous decision by the 15-member council to adopt a French-drafted resolution not to renew the mandate once it ended on June 30 has been welcomed by Bamako. MINUSMA, or the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission, “has certainly not achieved its fundamental goal of supporting the efforts of the government in securing the country”, Issa Konfourou, Mali’s ambassador to the UN, said after the vote. “Nevertheless, the people and the government of Mali will like to applaud its contribution in other areas, in particular in the area of humanitarian and social assistance,” he added. As the debate rages on, the humanitarian situation in the country could worsen in the coming months, analysts and aid agencies warned. One in four Malians is already at risk of starvation due to insecurity and the impact of climate change. According to the UN, at least 7.5 million people in a country of 22 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA